Biography

Tony Hillery is a businessman by trade. He had owned and operated a successful for-profit limousine business in New York City. Remembering, however, his own personal challenges growing up in the city, he wanted to give back to the community. He began volunteering at a local school in Harlem in 2011, and was struck by the lack of resources and poor nutrition. He realized quickly that these students and their families were living in a food desert. Soon, he took over an abandoned community garden, and with the help of 400 students, he was able to grow 200 pounds of produce in the garden’s first year. The project has grown into a full organization that has inspired great change in Tony and the community’s lives.

Since its founding in 2011, Harlem Grown has grown to now serve over 1,500 youth per year. Their programs include both in-school and afterschool programming. The organization operates two urban farms, multiple school gardens, and one hydroponic greenhouse – all of which are located in Central Harlem. Combined, these gardens produce over 2,000 pounds of fresh vegetables every year. Most of these vegetables are provided to the families of the participating youth; the remaining produce is sold to the public for a small profit that goes back to the organization.