Join farmers and gardeners across Cass County in growing food to share with others!

Sharing food builds community! Share fresh, local produce across Cass County this summer by planting an extra row (or 3!)  in your garden. Donations of all sizes and types are welcome and needed! Grow Another Row also welcomes volunteers to help harvest, package and transport produce. We encourage our volunteers and growers to "share what you can and take what you need" - we love to hear stories of growers swapping or sharing produce!

Information on How to Donate

Where can I drop off or pick up fresh produce?

We have sites available around Cass County for growers and eaters to connect throughout the growing season.  Donation sites for our 2023 season are now open! Check out our flier below, or visit www.facebook.com/CassCountyLocalFood for a current list of locations and to stay up to date on produce availability in our produce sharing stands. We're always looking for more partners- contact us if you'd like to help host a donation site next year!

Document

Grow Another Row Donation Flier- June 2023 (532.27 KB)

Our local pantries can take direct donations anytime! Check out the list below for details on donating to your local pantry.

Document

Cass County Food Pantry Information - Updated September 2023 (160.29 KB)

Resources for Growing and Harvesting Food

What should I grow?

We accept all edible produce, but have the most demand for: tomatoes, zucchini, squash, potatoes, onions, peppers, cucumbers, broccoli, melons, cabbage, sweet potatoes, carrots, and green beans. Check out the publications below on suggested donation items, and also the resources on how to grow/donate safely!

I’m new to vegetable gardening, but would like to participate. Where can I get help getting started?

Check out our grower resources below. If you’d like to talk with someone, contact Cass County Extension Director Kate Olson at keolson@iastate.edu or 712-243-1132 to be put in contact with a Garden Champion on our team.

Download free PDFs from ISU Extension on the following topics:

Resources for Planning and Planting Your Garden

• Suggested Produce Items for donation
• Basics of vegetable gardening
• Small Space gardening
• Container vegetable gardening
• When to plant and harvest

Best Practices for Growing, Harvesting and Handling Donated Produce

• Resources for Health and Safety
• Community Donation Gardening Toolkit: Food Safety Practices
• Community Food Security Primer

Sow, Grow, Eat and Keep "quickinars" are 5 to15 minute online lessons of seasonally appropriate topics for the garden, food preparation and food preservation. 

Check out videos, garden resources and more on the ISU Extension Sow, Grow, Eat, Keep Website! 

Learn More About Growing Another Row

Who is organizing this?

The Healthy Cass County Healthy Foods Access Team is spearheading this project with support from a range of partners, including Cass County Extension, the Cass County Local Food Policy Council, Produce in the Park, Cass County Master Gardeners and more.

 

Who can join?

Anyone can join! Whether you’ve been farming/gardening for years, or you’re just trying your hand at gardening, we welcome you to join us. We need people to grow food, but we also need people to help harvest food (pick tomatoes, dig potatoes, etc.), bag food into family-sized quantities, and transport food (from a farm or drop-off site to a pick-up site). Individuals, as well as area groups, organizations, or businesses are welcome to join Grow Another Row!

Contact Us!

 For more information on “Grow Another Row, Cass County!” contact Cass County Extension Director Kate Olson at keolson@iastate.edu or call 712-243-1132.

Sign up for the “Grow Another Row, Cass County!” Newsletter

Subscribe and we’ll keep you updated with our newsletter, delivered via email multiple times per month during the growing season, featuring growing tips, volunteer opportunities and current information on where to drop off and pick up available fresh produce. Email keolson@iastate.edu to be added to our mailing list for the 2023 growing season!