In New Jersey, 1 in 10 residents face food insecurity. Despite local farms growing an abundance of fresh produce, most of the food distributed by the state’s food banks comes from outside the region, with local produce rarely reaching those in need. Fairgrown Farm, of Hopewell, a small vegetable farm with a network of partner growers, is part of a statewide shift towards more local food banking.
In early 2024, Fairgrown joined the fight against food insecurity through the Local Food Purchase Assistance (LFPA) program, a federal initiative that funds The Community Food Bank of New Jersey (CFBNJ) to buy locally grown produce. Fairgrown began by delivering weekly Jersey Fresh farm share boxes to the Mercer Street Friends Food Bank, ensuring families received fresh, high-quality fruits and vegetables. This soon expanded to include other food banks throughout the state, according to a press release through Fairgrown Farm.
Seeking to build an even stronger local food system, the Office of the Food Security Advocate (OFSA), along with the New Jersey Department of Agriculture (NJDA) soon brought the farm into a Central Jersey food security pilot program. This initiative aimed to connect small farms directly with food pantries and soup kitchens. Within two weeks, Fairgrown developed a specialized food security program and began trucking even more locally grown produce to organizations serving food-insecure communities.
Fairgrown’s success lies in its network of 37 partner farms which allows for the scalable aggregation of fresh produce. This collaboration enables the farm to navigate complex logistics—sourcing, packaging, and delivering food where it’s needed most, as demand arises, according to the press release.
The results have been transformative. Over the past year, between the LFPA program, the central Jersey pilot, and private donations Fairgrown has made to various pantries, over 500,000 pounds of Jersey Fresh produce has been distributed to those in need.
James Klett, Fairgrown’s co-owner, credits the incredible collaboration between OFSA and NJDA, CFBNJ’s deeply dedicated team, and the state’s amazing food banks, pantries, and soup kitchens for making this possible.
“The LFPA grant and the Central Jersey pilot program have created real, lasting connections between local farms and the communities that need them most,” Klett said. “I’ve learned that us farmers and these food security folks have something in common… we just want to feed people. Getting to work with such a selfless community has changed my life.”
With continued collaboration, Fairgrown Farm hopes to prove that local farms can play a major role in fighting hunger—one Jersey Fresh box at a time.
