Volunteers can help bag 40K pounds of potatoes

MADISON – A gigantic mound of 40,000 pounds of potatoes at Asbury United Methodist Church will transform into parcels of food to feed the hungry on Dec. 16.

The Society of St. Andrew is sponsoring this ‘crop drop.’ The organization needs residents who want to volunteer to help bag the produce. The bagged potatoes will go to local food banks for distribution to people in need of food.

Work hours will be 9 to 11 a.m. The potatoes will be ‘dropped’ in the Joy building’s parking lot on the north side of Asbury’s campus, just off Hughes Road.

“If you have a heart for the hungry, join us as we bag 40,000 pounds of white potatoes to feed the hungry. Please share this information with friends and families. Lots of hands are needed,” St. Andrews volunteer Mary Lynn Botts said.

Society of St. Andrew is a faith-based 501(c)3 nonprofit organization focused on relieving hunger and reducing food waste within the 48 contiguous United States.

In her work, Botts locates vegetables and fruits on local farms and orchards … “food that’s healthy and edible but isn’t pretty to be sold in grocery stores. I build relationships with local farmers. When they have produce at the end of a growing season, they contact me.”

“We receive very large quantities at one time — 20,000 pounds of green beans, 30,000 pounds of apples, 40,000 pounds of sweet potatoes,” she said. Up to 200 volunteers help at crop drops.

This idea of ‘gleaning’ dates to the Bible and involves harvesting food from fields that would otherwise go to waste. The leftover produce goes to individuals in need. The organization connects farmers and growers who have excess or unmarketable produce with volunteer gleaners who pick, gather or dig the fruits and vegetables.

Then, the gleaned produce is given free of charge to hunger-relief agencies, in quantities they can serve or distribute quickly and without waste.

“Just bring your hands and a heart to help the hungry in our area on Dec. 16. All ages are welcome,” Botts said. “We’ll be there until the last potato is bagged.”

St. Andrew representatives will distribute the potatoes to more than 25 agencies across North Alabama.

For more information, call Botts at 256-658-7555, email botts@knology.net or visit facebook.com/endhungeral or endhunger.org.