By Hunterdon County Democrat

February 24, 2010, 9:54PM

Chip Paillex, left, president and founder of America’s Grow-a-Row, is handed Joshua Van Patten’s birthday money to support the hunger fighting organization.
Chip Paillex, president and founder of America’s Grow-a-Row, recently accepted Joshua Van Patten’s birthday money to support the hunger fighting organization. Joshua, a student at Crossroads Christian Academy in Clinton, decided that instead of receiving gifts for his birthday, he would ask his friends and family to make a donation to America’s Grow-a-Row. This local organization, formed at the Bethlehem Presbyterian Church in Pittstown, plants, maintains and harvests produce which is donated to food pantries and food banks across New Jersey. Joshua got the idea from his older brother, who did the same thing for another non-profit organization. Joshua also contributed this year by helping other Crossroads students pick over 14,000 pounds of apples in the fall for those in need. For more about the organization, visit americasgrowarow.org or call 908-331-2962.

“You’ve been picked” to enjoy evening of fun and a celebration of our volunteers on Saturday, March 20th at 7:30pm at Peaceful Valley Orchards.  This will be a really fun night out for a great cause – the best “fun-raiser” in the area, for sure!  We’ll enjoy light appetizers, cash bar, and entertainment in the perfect setting (our “home base” farm inside the farm stand) for only $40 per person.  But wait – there’s more!  Local costume designer, Brenda Greenfield, is hard at work on some unique produce-themed designs for our one-of-a-kind “Produce Runway” event that evening.  This is our tribute to all of our volunteers and it is not to be missed.  Dress is “fun, warm, casual” (although we’ll be inside it could be a little chilly) and this event is for adults only.

Silent auction items include a week’s lodging at Disney World, US Open golf tickets, 2-hours of strolling magic, an in-home catered dinner for 6 guests, dance lessons, Zumba classes, tutoring, Guy Fieri autographed items, landscaping services, jewelry, clothing, exercise packages, food packages and MUCH more!

We hope you’ll take advantage of this amazing evening for a great cause.   If you’d like to attend, here’s how you can RSVP (please note that reservations will only be available on a pre-sale basis):

- Respond to Colleen with the number of reservations you would like and the name of your guests.  We’ll respond with information on payment. –OR–

- Go to our donate page and pay with a credit card or paypal account through the “donate” link.  Please be sure to click on “add special instructions” and note how many you are purchasing at $40 each and list the names of your guests. –OR–

- Mail a check for $40 per person and the names of your guests to: America’s Grow-a-Row, Blue Jean Bash 150 Pittstown Road Pittstown, NJ  08867.

(Please note that we won’t be issuing tickets, your name and the names of your guests will be on a list and we will cheerfully check you in that night)

Our Event Sponsors for the evening are our very good friends at Artisan Wealth Management, LLC – thank you!

We would also like to thank our other sponsors for this fun-filled evening:

• Artisan Wealth Management (Event Sponsor)
• Colalillo Shop-Rite (Produce Runway Sponsor)
• PNC Bank
• Acorn Montessori School
• Ramirez & Ramirez, LLC
• Greenman-Pederson

Thanks to all of these companies for your support of our work to feed the hungry with healthy produce.  If you would like to be a sponsor for this event, please contact colleen.  Thank you!

Click here to view the embedded video.

America’s Grow-a-Row would be glad to deliver your produce for you – no amount too small – if you simply drop it off at Peaceful Valley Orchards in Pittstown, NJ. If this is not convenient for you, we encourage you to visit the Ample Harvest website at www.ampleharvest.org. AmpleHarvest provides information, including detailed driving instructions, from the gardener’s home to a local feeding agency.

“The economy is making it hard for many families to put food on their tables, that’s why a group in New Jersey is putting in time on some local farmland.” See the report by Eve Tannery from WFMZ, 69 News in Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania.

]]> http://americasgrowarow.org/2009/12/intro-for-69-news-story/feed/ 0 http://americasgrowarow.org/2009/12/shop-rite-gleaning-program/ http://americasgrowarow.org/2009/12/shop-rite-gleaning-program/#comments Mon, 07 Dec 2009 17:57:52 +0000 grow-a-row http://americasgrowarow.org/?p=720 NJN News covers the very successful Shop-Rite gleaning program on their September 29th, 2008 broadcast.

Shop-Rite-Gleaning Program

]]> http://americasgrowarow.org/2009/12/shop-rite-gleaning-program/feed/ 0 http://americasgrowarow.org/2008/10/readers-digest-applauds-chips-work/ http://americasgrowarow.org/2008/10/readers-digest-applauds-chips-work/#comments Tue, 07 Oct 2008 17:59:44 +0000 grow-a-row http://americasgrowarow.org/?p=722 “A mortgage banker, Chip Paillex had never planted so much as a window box until he moved to rural Pittstown, New Jersey, seven years ago. Sur- rounded by working farms, he quickly caught the grow-it-yourself bug and leased a 30-by-30-foot plot. One weekend, he planted tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, and eggplant—enough to feed his family of four for the summer, or so he thought.

He ended up with so much pro- duce, he couldn’t give it away. But he found a local food pantry, and by the time he delivered his last harvest, he had donated 120 pounds of fresh vegetables.”

Download a PDF of the Full Article

Go to Celebrate section on photo page to see all photos.