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Whole Foods contributes to charitable farm in Hunterdon

By Community Bulletin
on September 22, 2016 at 11:59 AM

America’s Grow-a-Row is thrilled to be the recipient of Whole Foods Market 5% Day proceeds.

The 5% Day took place at the following Whole Foods Markets locations: Madison, Millburn-Union, Clark, Ridgewood, Paramus, and Edgewater, and raised more than $33,000 to support a series of America’s Grow-a-Row events throughout the upcoming year, including the lead event sponsorship level for the 2017 Farm to Fork fundraiser and other harvest and education events.

A team representing Whole Foods Markets helped harvest 52.5 bins of corn on Thursday, September 15, 2016 as part of the official kick-off to the partnership.

As a company, Whole Foods Market is quite unique. Each store has a lot of latitude in deciding the best way to operate that individual store to meet the needs of the local community. That makes community giving really special and fun.  Several times a year, the stores hold community giving days (otherwise known as “5% Days”) where five percent of that day’s net sales are donated to a local nonprofit or educational organization. The groups that benefit from these 5% Days are as varied as the communities themselves.

America’s Grow-a-Row (AGAR), headquartered in Hunterdon County, New Jersey, is a non-profit organization that grows and gleans fresh, healthy fruits and vegetables that are donated to those suffering from hunger and those living in “food deserts,” or areas that lack access to fresh, affordable produce, throughout the state of New Jersey.

AGAR’s 2016 goals include donating over 1 million pounds of farm-fresh food to various hunger relief agencies in New Jersey while at the same time educating people of all ages about hunger, the importance of agriculture, and healthy eating.

AGAR, supported by over 6,000 volunteers who harvest produce throughout the growing season, hosts 750 young people from low-income urban areas at their farm through Grow-a-Row Kids Farm Day, provides Free Farm Markets in Camden, Newark, Jersey City, East Orange, and Morristown and hosts Recipient Volunteering events for the recipients of the produce so that they can harvest fresh food for other communities in need.

This opportunity to participate in a volunteer capacity enables those served to give back to the program in a fulfilling and meaningful way.  AGAR’s President and Founder, Chip Paillex, has been honored with the recognition of CNN Hero and Ford Motor Company Go Further Everyday Hero.

To learn more, please visit www.wholefoodsmarket.com andwww.americasgrowarow.org