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

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.

The following organizations are responsible for partial or full care of specific produce gardens at Reiman Gardens.

  • Students Helping Eliminate Poverty and Hunger (SHEPH)
  • Missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints
  • Reiman Gardens volunteers

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: 

  • Monday Morning Crew: Dave and Laura Miller, Teresa Rosenberg, Glen Umbaugh, Dr. Donald and Dorothy Lewis
  • Pantry Deliveries outside of Ames: Kathi Craven, Linda Sharpnack
  • Community Partners: ISU Horticulture Research Farm, Ames Main Street Farmer's Market

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.

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?