Grow and Give Produce Donation Program

Grow and Give logo

2025 Pounds Donated

  • 2570.8

    Ames Main Street Farmers Market vendors

  • 2175.6

    Reiman Gardens

  • 8364.7

    ISU Horticulture Research

  • 11365.7

    Ames community growers and farmers

Fighting Food Insecurity in Central Iowa

As of 2026, 30% of Story County residents are food insecure and 31% of Story County students are eligible for free and reduced meals at school. (https://uwstory.org/community-impact/collective-well-being/)

progress on Grow and Give goals, 2026

This graphic is updated periodically. To see most up-to-date numbers, stay tuned to our social channels: Facebook, Instagram.

In response to this major concern, Grow and Give volunteers at Reiman Gardens grow, glean, and give fresh, free produce to area food pantries. Volunteers can

  • tend and harvest our gardens at Reiman,
  • bring extra produce from their home gardens or farms,
  • glean from the Ames Main Street Farmers Market and the ISU Horticulture Research Farm,
  • weigh, sort, and deliver donated produce to pantries

Contact us

Are you a local business that would like to sponsor (financially or physically) Grow and Give? Are you a local food pantry that wants to be added to our network as a recipient of produce?

Video Poster
Grow and Give volunteers and staff share about our produce donation program at Reiman Gardens.

Donate fresh produce 

If you are a home gardener or you want to purchase extra produce for those in need, Reiman Gardens makes it easy! Drop off any fresh produce at Reiman Gardens on Monday mornings between 7:30 and 9:00 a.m. Our team of volunteers will collect, weigh, sort, and deliver produce to one of ten food pantries in Story County (and Boone in September/October!).

Volunteer

Reiman Gardens has many ways to volunteer your time to support this mission:

  • Collect left-over produce from vendors at the Ames Main Street Farmers Market on Saturdays.
  • Tend one of the many produce garden at Reiman Gardens on weekday mornings.
  • Weigh, distribute, and drop-off donated produce each Monday with other volunteers.
  • Tell your friends and others in the community to support Grow and Give!

To volunteer with us, create your account in our volunteer management system, Better Impact. We'll get you onboarded and trained to fight insecurity in Story County!

Thank you to Annie Gulick, ISU Graphic Design major and Reiman Gardens volunteer, for the creation of our Grow and Give logos.

Thank you to Iowa State University's 3D Printing Club (especially Owen Embree) for designing the 3D printing files used to create our farmer's market vendor badges.

Thank you to our many regular Reiman Gardens volunteers: 

  • Ames Main Street Farmer's Market: Glen Umbaugh (and thanks to LoJean Peterson, Manager of AMSFM, for your suppport!)
  • Monday Morning Crew: Dave and Laura Miller, Teresa Rosenberg, Lonny Jepsen, Dr. Donald and Dorothy Lewis, Linda Naeve
  • Pantry Deliveries outside of Ames: Kathi Craven (Boone), Linda Sharpnack (Huxley), Brenda Angell (Colo), Anita Westphal (Nevada), Kris Johnston (Story City)
  • Community Partners: ISU Horticulture Research Farm, Ames Main Street Farmer's Market, Students Helping Eliminate Poverty and Hunger (SHEPH - Ames High School), Iowa Donation Garden Network

Reiman Gardens relies on the donations of our local home gardeners and farmers. Resources below provided by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.

Grower information for food pantry donations.

Top 13 vegetables to donate to food pantries.

Pantries Served