PSEG Employees Planted Crops with America’s Grow-A-Row to Help Feed Community and Beyond

Close to 90 PSEG employees united on Friday, June 28 to plant sweet potatoes in the acres of America’s Grow-A-Row, a nonprofit organization based in Pittstown, NJ.

The event was organized by the BALANCE Employee Business Resource Group. In total, the volunteers planted about 12,000 sweet potato plants, which will yield 35,000 pounds or 140,000 servings of farm-fresh produce that America’s Grow-A-Row will donate to food banks and hunger relief agencies serving food desert areas (areas where people lack access to healthy, fresh, affordable produce) in Newark, Jersey City, East Orange, Camden, Morristown, and eastern Pennsylvania – customers within our service territory and in need of produce.

Lauren Thomas, Director of Transmission Growth and Project Development for PSE&G and one of the BALANCE co-leads, said she helped to organize the event because the nonprofit’s mission aligned with BALANCE’s mission to “create a village” for working caregivers.

"This ties in really well, because what we’re doing here today is providing fresh fruits and vegetables for families and our community, and creating that village for folks who may not necessarily have it,” Thomas said.

She added that she had gotten “really positive” feedback from the employees who volunteered with America’s Grow-A-Row last year, resulting in a much greater number of volunteers for this year’s event.

“The first event last year, we had 20 to 30 people. And we had almost 90 attend this time," Thomas said. “We look forward to our next America’s Grow-A-Row volunteer event scheduled for Friday, August 23. We will most likely be harvesting instead of planting.”

Once the sweet potatoes are harvested, they will be prepared to be donated through America’s Grow-A-Row’s “pick and haul” process to local food pantries.

Chip Paillex, founder and president of America’s Grow-A-Row, credited PSEG, which has sponsored America’s Grow-A-Row for the last five years, for “bringing it all together” in events like this through committing to their cause both financially and from a volunteer standpoint.

“They have a business to run, and we a business to run too, but they’re taking time out of their day to come out and help others," Paillex said. "So the fact that they’re willing to give up precious hours during their work day to come and support us is really a testament to their commitment to serving those who are in need.”