Our Staff

Tony grew up in South Philadelphia and South Jersey. After college, he tried on many careers from being a librarian to working at one of the world’s largest consulting firms.  He soon discovered that he was an entrepreneur at heart.  He founded two successful companies in the human capital market (HCM) field that he manages to this day. Soon, the success of these companies allowed Tony and his wife Amy to financially support various non-profits focusing on inner city children and education.  

In 2013, feeling that just writing checks wasn’t enough, Tony and Amy decided to become social entrepreneurs and founded Carversville Farm Foundation (CFF), a not for profit 350 acre farm located in Bucks County, Pennsylvania.  They wanted to apply their skills, time, and money to take direct action to help alleviate hunger in the greater Philadelphia area.

Knowing that only the richest one percent of our country can afford to purchase the most expensive, best tasting and healthiest foods available, they thought, ‘Why shouldn’t the underserved experience the same thing?’ and CFF was born.  The farm produces the best organically certified vegetables, pasture-raised meats and eggs available anywhere.  Everything is custom-grown and predictably available for donation to community kitchens and free farmer’s markets.  In addition, CFF provides onsite food and nature-related education and tours.  All products and services are provided to our partners free of charge ,year-round.  

‍

Jacque had planned a career in healthcare and initially loved nursing school. But working in a hospital, she was disheartened to see so many people suffering diet-related illness and came to feel that she could have more impact by helping prevent disease in the first place—through good food. So she took a leap—and started farming. She milked goats and made cheese in the Adirondacks, then enrolled in an organic farming program at the Rodale Institute, which brought her on visits to CFF. She loved our livestock program and joined our staff in 2022. While she’s always cheerfully game to do anything from muck a barn to set up fences, she especially enjoys working with poultry, leading tours, and engaging with volunteers. Jacque says regenerative agriculture is essential to securing a good life for future generations, plans to someday have her own farm raising pastured rabbits, and is glad to be learning everything from record-keeping to organic certification. Livestock farming isn’t easy, but Jacque says it’s well worth it, especially in light of the reasons she transitioned from nursing to farming in the first place. “Knowing that all this nourishing food is going the people who need it most,” she says. “whenever I’m having a tough day, I just think about that. It’s really awesome.”

Originally from Bucks County, Sam began his farming career in central Virginia in 2010. After two growing seasons, Sam became the Farm Manager for Project GROWS, a youth oriented, educational non-profit farm from 2012-2016. With hopes of getting back to his roots in Bucks County, Sam left VA to manage the River park Farm in New York City. There he cultivated a unique set of production skills involving high quality, chef inspired produce. Over the years he has not only matured into a strong farmer but has developed a passion for teaching and growing a vibrant, healthy, and sustainable generation of young farmers and community builders.

Lydia hails from the sprawling deserts of southern New Mexico. She had her first exposure to the world of organic vegetable farming during the final summer break of her undergraduate study at Cornell University. Lydia graduated from Cornell with a B.S. in Hotel Administration and worked as a Food & Beverage manager at Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts for two years before transitioning to full-time farm work in 2022. Lydia is passionate about fostering equity in the food system and helping to increase accessibility to the highest quality of food that is grown with the health of the earth and her inhabitants in mind. When Lydia is not pruning tomatoes in the high tunnel or packing kale bunches as the Wash and Pack Facility lead, she can be found dancing Flamenco, cooking up yummy dishes, and traveling near and far in search of new adventures.

Ben Crooke is from Bucks County. He grew up on a local dairy farm where he learned to love working with cows, equipment, other livestock and the land. Being raised in the barn, field, and farm shop by a supportive, loving family instilled in Ben a great passion for farming. Active in local and state 4-H programs, Ben showed and judged cows and attended leadership conferences. He graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Animal Science, then for seven years worked on his family’s dairy farm and with his own dairy herd. More recently Ben ran his own dairy supply business, supplying dairy farmers in a 10-county area. After selling the business, Ben joined Carversville Farm Foundation in 2022 as the crop farmer/mechanic. He grows hay and other crops and fixes equipment on the farm. Some of his favorite things to do on the farm are helping others solve problems and creatively plan for what’s next in crop and livestock production. His wife and four young, energetic children are a constant source of strong support and inspiration. Ben really enjoys working with an upbeat, positive team on the farm, to produce healthy food for people in need.

Brenna grew up in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. She went to school for Equine science and found her love for working outdoors through working with horses. After graduating, she worked on a small, organic farm and that is when her love for farming began. She started at Carversville Farm Foundation in spring 2022 and enjoys everything that is done here in support of the farm`s mission. She has taken charge of the production of the shitake mushrooms, which has become one of her favorite things to grow and harvest. She hopes to have her own small, sustainable farm one day and use all of the knowledge that she is learning at Carversville Farm.

Stephanie became CFF's first employee in 2014 and has been the Farm Administrator ever since. She holds a Communications degree from Millersville University and worked in Marketing before the farming world presented itself the opportunity of a lifetime.  She is involved in all aspects of CFF except the actual farming, although she isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty!  She handles everything from accounting to placing equipment and seed orders, to onboarding new staff, vendor negotiations and more.

As a young farmer, herbal apprentice, advocate, artist, and writer, Chloe has been shaped by her deep reverence for Earth and all the beings she holds. Her educational background in developmental psychology, human rights, and holistic health supports the belief that is foundational to her work: That all people deserve nourishing food, clean water, and supportive relationships.  Chloe strives to nurture communities rooted in right relationship with their land and with one another, through comprehensive education and compassionate mutual aid.

Zach has a passion for land management. A lifelong local and lover of the outdoors, he graduated from DelVal University with a degree in business administration. Zach enjoys managing extensive properties and his previous experience includes five years at Pleasant Valley Farm in Hopewell, NJ. Now at CFF he keeps the property ship-shape, with close attention to every detail. Zach says his favorite part of working at CFF is the positive work culture, which he himself embodies by always being willing to lend a hand. Zach simply cannot get enough of the outdoors, so after a day of working outside on the farm, his favorite pastime is hiking and exploring with his beloved yellow lab.

‍

Owen grew up just a short drive away, in Abington, Pennsylvania. He majored in environmental studies at Towson University and competed on their NCAA swim team. After graduating, he began looking for a career in the environmental field and learned of CFF. Since coming on as an apprentice in February 2022, Owen has taken on the role of a full-time livestock employee. He has a particular interest in animal welfare and livestock production and enjoys the purpose-driven work to produce and donate as much as possible. Owen says he is grateful for the opportunity to learn from all of the experienced people here, and excited to continue pursuing a career in livestock farming.

Steven is a farmer focused on organic agriculture.  He graduated from Pratt Institute with a degree in Industrial Design and has also completed a Permaculture Design Course.  Steven began farming in 2009 as an apprentice on various organic vegetable farms.  From 2012 to 2016, he started and managed Great Road Farm in Skillman, NJ, primarily growing for Agricola restaurant in Princeton, and he co-authored the Agricola Cookbook. Steven enjoys the creative process of growing nutrient-dense food and is grateful to be a part of the Carversville Farm Foundation team as Farm Manager to grow for soup kitchens and food pantries.