America’s Grow-a-Row Receives $100,000 Grant from Bayer Fund

America’s Grow-a-Row Receives $100,000 Grant from Bayer Fund

Donation to help increase access to fresh, healthy food for communities across 29 states.

Pittstown, NJ (2/25/2026) – America’s Grow-a-Row announced today it received a grant for $100,000 from Bayer Fund, a philanthropic arm of Bayer in the U.S. This grant will be used to advance the organization’s mission, building a better future by increasing access to fresh food to communities in need and empowering families to build lasting healthy habits and understand the essential role of nutrition in lifelong well-being.  In 2025, America’s Grow-a-Row reached a major milestone donating more than 100 million servings of fresh produce to food banks in twenty-nine states throughout the country with efforts primarily concentrated in New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania.

“Reaching 100 million servings is an extraordinary milestone, but it also underscores how urgent the need remains,” said Chip Paillex, President and Founder of America’s Grow-a-Row. “Bayer’s partnership strengthens our ability to grow more food each year, expand our reach, and ensure that families across our region have consistent access to fresh, nutritious produce. Together, we are driving solutions that create healthier communities and a more resilient food system.”

In Bayer Fund and America’s Grow-a-Row’s mutual goal to see the communities we serve flourish,

the grant from Bayer Fund will support America’s Grow-a-Row’s 2026 Fresh Produce Initiative, which includes produce distribution, education, Kids Farm Days, and community engagement through a robust network of volunteers. Ongoing since 2012, the Fresh Produce Initiative is America’s Grow-a-Row’s cornerstone program dedicated to increasing access to nutritious produce, providing supportive education about healthy eating, meal preparation, agriculture, and food insecurity. America’s Grow-a-Row received a grant from Bayer Fund last year for the 2025 Fresh Produce Initiative and as a result, the program was able to grow over 15%.

“Bayer Fund is proud to support America’s Grow-a-Row and their work to make real, sustainable impacts in our community,” said Susan Anderson, Director of Philanthropy and Community. “Programs like the Fresh Produce Initiative help combat the critical issue of food insecurity, and we’re honored to play a role with helping even more people in our community have access to healthy, nutritious food.”

Last year, Bayer Fund supported more than 2,200 charitable and nonprofit organizations to help address essential needs in Food and Nutrition and Health and Wellness.

To learn more about America’s Grow-a-Row visit https://americasgrowarow.org.

About America’s Grow-a-Row
The mission of America’s Grow-a-Row is to positively impact as many lives as possible through a volunteer effort of planting, picking, rescuing, and delivering free fresh produce to more than 20 states across the country. Critical to our unique mission, our education program shares the health benefits of incorporating fresh produce into one’s diet while teaching ways to cook the produce we distribute. Headquartered on 423 acres in Hunterdon County, NJ, since 2002 we have harvested and donated more than 20 million pounds of produce for people faced with hunger and food insecurity. America’s Grow-a-Row is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, EIN 26-2569598.

About Bayer Fund

Bayer Fund, a philanthropic arm of Bayer in the U.S., is a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening the communities where Bayer customers and employees live and work by providing funding for food and nutrition, and health and wellness projects. For more Information visit https://www.fund.bayer.us.