We started off National Volunteer Week with an incredible team of dedicated individuals. Three employees from the USDA and nine devoted volunteers, some traveling from as far as an hour away, joined forces to support our Farmers Against Hunger initiative in Delran, NJ.

Our first task was to revitalize the garden beds. We worked together to enrich the soil in the 15 raised beds, ensuring a fertile environment for the future crops of vegetables, herbs, and flowers that will thrive throughout the summer. Then, we came together to place a new layer of pizza boxes around the beds to help control weeds naturally. Finally, we topped the pizza boxes with donated mulch and wood chips, creating a polished look and providing a convenient, walkable area for visitors to the Rainbow Meadow Learning Gardens.

The produce harvested from these gardens will play a vital role in educational initiatives. Through hands-on classes tailored for school groups, clubs, specialized events, and educational tastings, we aim to foster learning and community engagement. These gardens are not just about growing food; they're about cultivating knowledge, sparking discussions, and bringing people together.

Thanks to the generous support of Delran Township and Jeff Tober at Rancocas Creek Farm, we were able to gather ample compost and mulch to replenish our garden beds. Together with our volunteers, we filled the beds and laid down fresh pizza boxes and mulch to create inviting pathways around the gardens. It was a beautiful Friday in April, filled with camaraderie and laughter.

Witnessing the community come together from across the state to help build this learning garden area for educational classes and workshops on agriculture in New Jersey is truly rewarding. This collaborative effort is integral to fulfilling our mission of educating the public about farming in the Garden State.

Next on our agenda: Volunteer Planting Day!
Join us on Friday, May 10th, to plant transplants and seeds into the garden beds. Become a part of our volunteer team by emailing [email protected] to sign up!


We love our volunteers and couldn't do what we do without your help!

Getting fresh produce to those food insecure is a vital part of what we do every day. In New Jersey, there are 725,000 food insecure and FAH delivers fresh, healthy, nutritious produce to over 80 organizations. In the last few months we have added several new partners and continue outreach to new locations as we add capacity from our warehouses and 50+ farm partners. 

We support our new produce recipients!!

Liberty Park Housing, Camden (Camden County)
Mickel Tower, Camden (Camden County)
St. Bartholomew Lutheran Church, Trenton (Mercer County)
Aunt Chubby's Project, Hopewell (Mercer County)
Salvation Army Camden Kroc Center (Camden County)
St. Johns Pentecostal Church, Salem (Salem County)
Samuel Miller Senior Living, Mount Holly (Burlington County)
First Baptist Church of Moorestown (Burlington County)

If you'd like to participate in receiving food from Farmers Against Hunger, please Click HERE and fill out the application.  

In addition to our partnerships with Wakefern & Donio Foods, we have re-established an important relationship with Sunbasket and added Thistle for regular pick ups throughout the year.   

In 2023, Farmers Against Hunger collected almost 1 million pounds of food from our food warehouse partners.  Their generosity allows us to feed 10,000 families each week.  We are grateful for their relationship with FAH and are hoping to add 2-3 new partners in 2024 to allow us the capacity to feed so many of those in our community who otherwise don't have access to fresh fruits and vegetables.  

​​As a food company, we’re acutely aware of the realities of hunger in America. It’s estimated that 1 in 7 Americans may have experienced food insecurity in the past year* alone, and the issue is not new. We’ve been working with our associates, vendors, and customers to fight hunger for decades, refining our local approach year after year to help people who are struggling. We identify the most pressing needs in our communities and collaborate with local leaders to ensure our impact is focused and effective.  

Frank Donio, Inc. is a socially responsible company that uses its success to give back to the community. As a food business, we are committed to fighting hunger and food insecurity in our local area. We partner with organizations such as Philabundance, the Food Bank of New Jersey, Farmers Against Hunger, and The WOW Center, as well as community religious organizations to donate truckloads of fresh produce on a weekly basis throughout the year. In addition, we have special projects focused on helping those in need during the holiday season.

Life is a two-way street. We believe that every relationship, be it with our bodies, other people, or the natural world, requires reciprocity. Giving back is integral to who we are as humans—and who we are as a company.  Sunbasket donates food to Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, Farmers Against Hunger, Hope Food Pantry of Monroe County, and several other non-profits providing healthy food to underserved communities across the United States.

The Farmers Against Hunger Learning Center is being regenerated and is a critical component to the New Jersey Agricultural Society's educational mission. Our raised garden beds will be full of vegetables & herbs for the purposes of educating those interested in learning about soil health, propagation, nutrition, and much more. Our volunteer  Education Director, June Fisher will be building a curriculum and learning materials for the Rainbow Meadow Land Stewardship Center.

The vision for our Learning Center at Rainbow Meadows begins with our relationship with Burlington County and led by Mary Pat Robbie and their focus on education and providing the public with "educational programs on health and nutrition".   The initial work began in 2020 with the building of our raised beds, establishing a vegetable garden, introducing beehives, and beginning educational classes.  With our volunteer network, Farmers Against Hunger was growing and building.  However, with COVID shutting down group events, the educational component was put on hold and the focus was placed on food distribution during the the pandemic.

In 2024, there is a renewed focus on education specific to Rainbow Meadows and am pleased to report the following plan moving forward:

• Vegetable and Herb Garden.  Already in the initial stages. Farmers Against Hunger and our volunteers are preparing the beds and will soon be planting vegetables and herbs for the purposes of educating the public on the importance of fresh, nutritious foods right from New Jersey.  We'll be providing updates on our progress in our newsletter and on our website.  

 

• Composting.  We now have an active and healthy composting area that allows us to dispose of any foods we collect from our partners.  Kyle Newhall has been leading this initiative and in just two months we are already producing nutrient rich soil to supplement our garden beds.  The next phase of our educational work will implement a composting "give and get" program for the public to drop off their compost materials while also being able to pick up fresh soils for their own vegetable gardens.  More to come on this program!  

 

• Pollinator Garden.  In addition to our herbs and vegetables, we are planning on having a pollinator garden to attract the birds and insects to create a dynamic ecosystem to keep pests away from our vegetables and to optimize pollination for all of our fruits & vegetables.  This will happen in concert with our beautification project in the front of our facility. 

 

• Landscaping and Plants.  Working with Apiary Studio we will be rebuilding two of our garden beds next to our building.  This will not only draw the public to Farmers Against Hunger but also will be part of our education to native plants that thrive in Burlington County, New Jersey.  Timing on this work is slated for mid-summer.  

 

• Curriculum.  Our volunteer Education Director, June Fisher,  is developing curriculum and learning tools for the Rainbow Meadows Land Stewardship Center.  Once we have the curriculum in place, we'll invite the public, schools, and organizations who are interested an opportunity to visit our gardens and learn from one of our teachers.   All of our teaching materials will be available on the website and updates will be included in our newsletter on a regular basis.  We are just getting started!!

All of this will be done with the support of our partners at Burlington County, our volunteer network, and our dedicated staff at Farmers Against Hunger.  Initial funding from the USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant allows us to begin this important work but we'll need additional support from corporate donors, individuals, state & federal grants in order to build and grow our commitment to education.  Please Support our Agricultural Education programming.

Owned & Operated since 1860, by Six Generations of the Bullock Family.
The next generation has taken this Cream Ridge Christmas tree, pumpkin, corn and straw farm and added a really great addition - Screamin’ Hill Brewery.

Bullock Farms has changed with the times and throughout each generation. Bullock farms is a wonderful triumphant story of a multi-gneration family farm that has adapted to change over the years. From cranberries, corn and potatoes to potatoes and grains in the 1950's and then transitioning to tomatoes, grain, pumpkins and Christmas Trees, and now New Jersey's first & only farm brewery. 

Marty Bullock along with his wife Janet and son Brett grow the grain, hops, fruits and vegetables for their families handcrafted line of beer at Screamin’ Hill Brewery on Bullock Farms. You have the 5th and 6th generation coming together to create a viable farm model for the next six generations.

In 2022, the New Jersey Agricultural Society awarded Screamin' Hill Brewery with the Tony Russo Farmers Marketing Award for being New Jersey’s First & Only Farm Brewery using ingredients grown right on the farm. 

Screaming Hill has hosted a .05K charity walk that benefits Farmers Against Hunger for the last three years which has contributed thousands of dollars towards the program. New Jersey Agricultural Society and Farmers against Hunger would like to say, "Thank you, to Bullock farms and Screaming Hill for hosting an event to benefit FAH and for the the wonderful people that come out to walk up the .05K hill to get to the brewery every year, we appreciate you!

— TAP ROOM --
Thursday: 3 – 8 PM
Friday: 3 – 8 PM
Saturday: 1 – 6:30 PM

Farmers Against Hunger has upgraded its refrigeration facility. We have completed a restructuring of our walk-in cooler with new walls (FRP board) and a steel skirt around the bottom of the wall to protect it from damage. This now provides a safe and clean environment to store all of the food prior to its re-distribution to community centers, churches, senior living centers, and pantries.   The unit is 46' x 23'' and can hold 33 pallets of produce.  

Each week we bring collected foods from our warehouses and farms and store it in our refrigerator giving us the needed capacity to re-pack and then distribute to those communities we serve across New Jersey.  Keeping our produce chilled and fresh for a day or two ensures our recipients get the very best products to serve their customers all year long.  We also have several customers who use our Rainbow Meadows facility for packing events and pick up.  The refrigeration unit serves those on-site customers as well.  

In addition, our reefer truck stores our produce in transit so that our produce remains chilled and fresh upon delivery.  

Our contractor, Hannon Mechanical, worked effectively to work around our busy schedule and completed the project on time and is available to repair and upgrade all of our equipment related to refrigeration.  

The next phase for this project is to rebuild the ceiling.  It currently has a secure plastic cover and will be repaired with an FRP board ceiling to help with energy efficiency and further improve the unit for years to come!  

Dorothy Stevenson Pettit of Juliustown, NJ passed away on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at the age of 94.  Born in Mount Holly, NJ on March 2,1930, Dorothy was a lifetime resident of Springfield Township. In 1951 she and her late husband Bill began their lives together as “share farmers”. In 1959 they purchased the farm that later became known as Huff & Puff Farm. Starting with nothing, they built a nationally recognized dairy farm. Dorothy assisted Bill on the farm with everything from mowing hay to keeping the books all while raising four sons. They were the leaders of the Meadow Clippers 4-H Dairy Club for over 12 years and were dedicated mentors to the members.

Dorothy was awarded the 2004 Farm Woman of the Year by the Burlington County Board of Agriculture. She was very active in the New Jersey Agricultural Society. She also served several years as President of the Northern Burlington County Regional High School Board of Education.  Dorothy enjoyed 73 years living on Huff 'n Puff Farm, her horses and collies, gardening, and many years participating in the county and state Holstein shows. She always loved having the family together, particularly on the holidays. She was an excellent cook and probably best known for her home-made chocolate cake. 

​Dorothy is survived by four sons: William H. Pettit, Jr. DVM, and wife Carolyn of Southampton, NJ, James P. Pettit and wife Pam of Newport, VA, Christopher B. Pettit of Dover, MN, Joel S. Pettit and wife Sarah of Zumbrota, MN. Grandchildren: Julie Smith (Greg), Jennifer Tarpley, Jeannette Pettit DVM, William H. Pettit, III (Beth), Kim Torrey (Lucas), Kelly Robertson (Clint), Krista Hejl (Chris), Thomas Pettit (Justine), Craig Pettit (Rachael), Morgan Patten (Josh), Nancy Roberson (Todd), Kalie Pettit DVM, Madison Pettit, and Jared Pettit. Dorothy has twenty-one great grandchildren. She has no surviving siblings.

​A memorial service will be held on Friday, March 29, 2024, at 1pm at the Crosswicks Friends Meeting at 15 Front Street, Crosswicks, NJ.

​In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to the Crosswicks Friends
Meeting at 15 Front Street, Crosswicks, NJ 08515.

On March 2nd, the New Jersey Agricultural Society held its annual gala at Indian Springs Country Club in Marlton, New Jersey.  With 220 in attendance, the night featured a broad representation from the agriculture industry including members of the NJ legislature, Department of Agriculture, County Ag Boards, NJ Farm Bureau, Rutgers SEBS & Cooperative Extension, Vegetable Growers Association, FFA, and many others.  

The night honored farms and individuals for their contributions to agriculture including Gold Medallion Award winner Jim Giamarese of Giamarese Farms on his many achievements on various boards and committees including his foundational work in shaping Farmers Against Hunger.  Bill Hlubik and Bill Griffin (who traveled all the way from Louisiana) reflected on Jim's unyielding energy and humble approach to giving advice, counsel, and leadership on boards and committees throughout his career.  Jim's remarks were passionate, inspiring, and reflective of his humility and grace.  With Sue by his side, the celebration of both of their accomplishments were heartfelt and emotional for all those who attended.  You can learn more about Jim Giamarese HERE. 

Our two Century Farm Award winners included Stults Farm and Stella Farms for their families multi-generational commitment to farming in New Jersey.  The innovative spirit needed for success in New Jersey was evidenced  by each farm's adaptation to economic needs including changing of crops, embracing agritourism, and the building of a farm market.  Additionally, both of these farms worked closely with their counties and Farmland Preservation funds to help continue their stewardship of the land and keep it GROWING.  Brian Schilling, Director of the Rutgers Cooperative Extension, received the award on behalf of the Stults Family.  Barbara Stella and her brother Ed received the award with support from Camden Board of Ag.  Mike Ward reflected on Stella Farm's importance to the culture of Camden County and the legacy of the Stella family in this mostly urban and developed county.  Barbara's remarks impressed the importance of supporting local farms and farm markets and the value of LOCAL,  FRESH produce for consumers and the critical role farms play in the most densely populated state in the country.  You can learn more about Stults and Stella Farm HERE. 

The President's Award was given to Harbe Dan Farm and posthumously to Dan Farrand received by his sons Sam and Jim Farrand.  Morris County Board of Ag member, Rebekah Alstede's remarks honored Dan's love and passion for farming followed by Sam's relationship with his father and the bond farming created between them while working in the fields.  The Farrand Family has been farming in New Jersey for over 250 years and their farm was an important stop for the Continental Army as they made their way south towards Trenton during the Revolutionary War.  You can learn more about Harbe Dan Farm HERE.  

In addition to our awards, Assemblywoman Andea Katz from District 8 recognized each of our award winners with accommodations from the State of New Jersey.  

Hosted by Board President, Joni Elliott and the NJAS Board of Trustees, the event also featured a silent auction, 50/50 raffle, and gift baskets from many supporters from across the state.  All of these efforts raised funds to support our three programs including Farmers Against Hunger, Ag Education, and NJ Agricultural Leadership Development. 

The gala was a big success raising almost 50% more revenue than the year prior based on the generous support of all those companies and individuals who placed an ad in our journal, attended the event, and contributed with their time, donations, and efforts. This evening would not of been possible without the great work and leadership of Chris Cirkus who chaired the event as well as our  Presenting Sponsor, Belle Meade Garage's Kip Higgins and Chris Carnevale.  

What started as a collaborative educational effort between Farmers Against Hunger and HomeFront to come together to teach a once a month culinary class with Jersey fresh produce has grown to be a 3 classes per week program that is now also supported by Snap Ed and the USDA. 

It takes a community!
Farmers Against Hunger has teamed up with HomeFront to spread the love and education of cooking wholesome foods grown locally to the citizens that HomeFront serves. This relationship and educational celebration of food started in summer of 2023. Farmers Against Hunger provides New Jersey grown produce from NJ farmers right to Dylan and the team at Homefront that then gets supplied to the Connie Mercer Family Campus where there is a newly built kitchen classroom for residence of the facility to participate in. 
The culinary program at the Connie Mercer Family Campus helps to fulfill HomeFront's mission to help to end the cycle of poverty and to help to educate families of how how to meal prep, budget for food shopping and cooking for a family, how to cook with fresh produce, explore different recipes, knife skills and hands-on work shops and great opportunities for residence to share meals with one another that tells the story of their personal background and family heritage. This wonderful program that we are so happy to supply food to is ran by nutritionist, Kelly Bozarth and is supported by SNAP ED which is funded by the USDA.

The President's Award is presented to individuals or organizations who have made significant contributions to the New Jersey Agricultural Society and the entire NJ agriculture industry. ​This award is presented at the Society’s Annual Dinner Gala, held each spring.

Previous to his passing, Dan & Janet Farrand owned and operated Harbe Dan Farm, in Long Valley.   Dan had been in Long Valley since 1964 when his father relocated from Parsippany, where the family had farmed before the Revolutionary War.  

Dan graduated from West Morris Regional High School in 1970.  He received a degree in Ag Business Management from the University of Delaware in 1974, where he also played on National Champion football teams.

After college, he started farming with his father, Harold, and joined the Morris County Board of Agriculture and the New Jersey Farm Bureau.  Together with his father and wife Janet, they grew the farm from 150 acres to a modern state of the art grain and hay farm of over 1,000 acres. After many years of suffering with seemingly unrelated illnesses, in 2018 Dan was diagnosed with amyloidosis, a rare and often misdiagnosed organ disease, which resulted in a heart transplant that year.  

Dan served on the State Board of Agriculture, starting in 2016 representing the hay and grain industry, and was vice president of the state board in 2019-20. Dan also served as chairman of the New Jersey Young Farmers and Ranchers Committee; was a member of the American Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Advisory Committee; is a past president of the Morris County Board of Agriculture; was a director for the New Jersey Farm Bureau for 16 years; was a delegate to the New Jersey Farm Bureau and New Jersey State Agricultural Convention each for multiple years; was a member of the New Jersey Soybean Board; was a founding member of the Garden State Ethanol Committee; was a founding member of the New Jersey Grain and Forage Producers Association; and was on the Farmers Home Administration Committee.

With his recent passing, Dan is survived by his wife, Janet, and four children, Jim, Sam, Dezi and Emmy.  His legacy goes well beyond his four birth children. In fact, Dan and Janet fostered over 50 children in need, and adopted two children, over a twenty-three-year period.  Having Dan’s support at home, Janet has been a volunteer leader and staunch supporter of foster children and their needs through Foster and Adoptive Family Services and various county and state committees, organizations, and government panels.

Fun Fact: The history of Harbe Dan Farm goes back to the American Revolutionary War