The mission of GrowFood.org is to train a new generation of sustainable farmers and to reconnect people with farms. GrowFood.org connects farmers interested in teaching with people interested in farming. People use the website to find a wide range of opportunities on farms. Our network of thousands of farms in the USA and abroad encompasses season-long internships, paid work, short-term volunteer arrangements, educational programs and much more. Whether you want to spend the day working on a farm close to the city with your kids or if you want to spend a winter growing tropical fruit in Costa Rica, you can find it on GrowFood.org. Sign up and get growing.Grow Food is a 501c3 not-for-profit organization, founded in 2001 by Ethan, Sarita and Grayson Schaffer. TeamEthan SchafferEthan grew up on a hay and tree farm in northern Idaho with his brother Grayson. He survived lymphoma cancer when he was 15 years old, which he credits for giving him the drive toward healthy and sustainable living. In 2002, He was presented with a Brower Youth Award, a top national honor for young environmental leaders. Ethan holds a BA from the Evergreen State College and an MBA in sustainable business from the Bainbridge Graduate Institute. He currently lives in Seattle with his wife, Sarita, where he runs Grow Food and manages other socially responsible business ventures.Sarita SchafferSarita manages the international program at Grow Food and directs her and Ethan's newest project, Viva Farms. Viva Farms is a 33 acre farm in the Skagit Valley that helps beginning farmers get established. The program is taught bilingually and works with many Latino farm workers. Sarita has advanced agricultural entrepreneurship education in the U.S. and Latin America, most recently in Paraguay, where she spent 2007-08 as a Fulbright Fellow, working with Fundacion Paraguaya. Sarita holds a BA from the Evergreen State College and the School for International Training.
Grayson SchafferGrayson programmed the first version of GrowFood.org and directs all communication and outreach strategies. When not hacking away at the computer, he can be found swimming in the shark infested waters of South Africa, running whitewater in Madagascar or paddling up glacial fjords in Patagonia as senior editor at Outside Magazine. Most notably, he trained his dog, Danger, to fetch beer from the fridge.Mark VonrosenstielMark, aka Big Man, is the brain behind the website. If you're looking at it, he programmed it. Besides being a computer genius, Big Man makes art and schools people on the court.