Why Tony Hillery left his thriving limousine business and started Harlem Grown--a nonprofit helping NYC kids getting healthy.
By Kristen Kabel
Ten years ago, Tony Hillery was living the American Dream. He was a successful business owner, had a house in the suburbs and was able to send his kids to private school. But then the financial crisis hit in 2008 and his company was severely impacted. Depressed about the economic state of the country, he went for a ride on the subway and randomly got off at 135th and Lenox in Harlem. Half a block away was an elementary school and he decided to volunteer. For a brief time he taught parents the importance of education, which was ironic since he was a high school dropout.
After about three weeks, he realized that wasn't the right role for him and quit, but he never stopped thinking about the kids and how he could help them. Knowing that the children relied on school lunches, lived in poverty and didn't have access to healthy affordable food, he found a new mission--Harlem Grown.
Hillery, a 2017 CNN Hero, turned the vacant lot across from the school into a youth farm where he grows organic produce. The kids from the school come and help grow the produce, which is then given to anyone in need for free.
The first year they grew 38 pounds of vegetables, which was a wonderful accomplishment, especially since Hillery had never grown anything before. However, he soon realized there were other programs he could implement to help the community when he sent chard home with one of the girls from the school. The next day he asked how it was and the girl said her mom threw it out because she didn't know what to do with it. That sparked the idea of teaching these young children about healthy food and how to prepare it. So Harlem Grown started free cooking lessons among other classes offered to the neighborhood.
To date, Harlem Grown currently has 13 "farms" and grows thousands of produce a year for communities to enjoy at no cost.
Volunteers are needed to help on the farms, no experience required, and those with specialized skill sets are always welcome for special projects. For more information please visit http://www.harlemgrown.org/volunteer.