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Grow a Row

MIFFS is a proud sponsor of “Grow a Row” (GAR), a communications campaign encouraging growers to donate fresh vegetables, fruit and herbs to food banks and/or soup kitchens in need. We pledge to tap existing resources, such as Select Michigan retail, radio and print campaign partners, to encourage increased donation of surplus garden and farm produce to local food banks, soup kitchens and service organizations. We can all help feed America’s hungry. Growers can Make a Difference!

GAR’s success hinges on its people-helping-people approach. The concept is simple. Farmers, families and market gardeners plant vegetables, manage orchards and often harvest more than they can consume. If every grower simply plants one extra row of vegetables, or designates the crop from one tree and donates that surplus to local food banks and soup kitchens, a significant impact can be made on reducing hunger. Food agencies will have access to fresh produce, funds earmarked for produce can be redirected to other needed items and the hungry of America will have more and better food than is presently available.

MIFFS role will be to provide focus, direction and support to volunteer committees who execute the programs at the local level. We help gather the human resources necessary to form a nucleus for a local committee. Then we provide expertise and data to enable the committee to reach out into the community. Finally, we assist in coordinating the local food collection systems, gleaning of excess items and monitoring the volume of donations being conveyed to the soup kitchens and food banks.