Grow and Give Program at Reiman Gardens

a honeycomb motif of many photos of bright, beautiful produce and the volunteers that helped with Plant A Row in 2022

2024 Pounds Donated

  • 1798

    Ames Main Street Farmers Market vendors

  • 1718

    Reiman Gardens

  • 2588

    ISU Horticulture Research

  • 11542

    Ames community growers and farmers

Fighting Food Insecurity in Central Iowa

As of 2025, 16% of Story County residents are food insecure, 10% have limited access to healthy food, and 26.5% of Story County students are eligible for free and reduced meals at school. (https://www.uwstory.org/health)

Grow and Give logo

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

Resources for home gardeners

Grower information for food pantry donations.

Top 13 vegetables to donate to food pantries.

Corporate and Organizational Sponsors

In 2025, groups from the community were invited to sponsor a garden bed. These volunteers provide weekly support in weeding, watering, pest-scouting, harvesting, and more to ensure that we get the most produce we can into our food pantries. Garden beds were created with the support of our new Growing Together grant.

Agencies Served

Grow and Give volunteers show their progress as of 9-23-24

Volunteer with us!

There are multiple ways to help us combat food insecurity in Story County. 

  • Plant a row of produce in your home garden and drop it off at Reiman Gardens. Drop off times are 7:30-9:00 AM on Mondays* from mid-June to mid-October.
  • 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.
  • Weigh, distribute, and drop-off donated produce each Monday with other volunteers.
  • Assist with promotion through social media and local media outlets.
Sign up to volunteer

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?