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Rotary Clubs deliver skids of spuds to region's food banks

About 60,000 pounds of PEI potatoes arrived last week and a Collingwood Rotarian is helping organize their distribution to support food security programs
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A little over a week ago, a local Rotary Club received delivery of 60,000 pounds of PEI potatoes, and nearly half the tubers have made their way to local food banks and organizations. 

The Rotary Club of South Georgian Bay helped coordinate the distribution, which involved area Rotary clubs from Collingwood and Orillia and skids of spuds arriving to food banks, homeless shelters, women’s shelters, youth centres and several other organizations whose outreach involves counter measures to food insecurity. 

The potatoes came from Prince Edward Island, where a surplus of the island’s signature crop has piled up after export to the US was cancelled this year. Routine testing uncovered some potato wart in two crops causing the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to suspend the export of seed potatoes to the US. Later the suspension was extended to table and processing potatoes. 

However, most potatoes are free from the fungus, which is not harmful to humans. 

About 10 per cent of the 2021 crop of potatoes from PEI (300 million pounds) will be destroyed. Farmers are being given government funding amounting to about 8.5 cents per pound for the potatoes that are destroyed. 

In response to the surplus, the Government of Canada is funding a program to have 290 million pounds of the surplus, safe potatoes diverted to processors, packers, dehydrators, food banks and other markets. 

The part of the plan involving diversion to food banks is where local Rotary Clubs are getting involved.

Martin Oosterveld, a Rotarian with the Collingwood South Georgian Bay Club, has been tasked with tater coordination, but the potato project involves Rotary Clubs from across the district.

“Rotary got involved to say we know a lot of people in the community and can be part of the solution,” said Oosterveld. “It’s been a wonderful experience and motivated a lot of Rotarians.” 

On Friday, March 4, 6,000 bags of potatoes (10-pounds each) arrived to Simcoe County. 

Thanks to a Rotarian couple, Mike and Kim Giffen, the potatoes were delivered to and some remain at a large warehouse (Giffen Country Market) in Glen Huron. 

Oosterveld and the team reached out through 211 Community Connection to find local organizations doing work to combat food insecurity and connected with the organizations to offer bags of potatoes.

Rotarians arrived at the warehouse on March 12 for tuber transportation duty. Clubs from around the region convened to pick up potatoes for their local service organizations. In Collingwood, potatoes were taken to five different churches, My Friend’s House, Barbara Weider House, and local food banks. The Wasaga Beach Rotary Club picked up deliveries to the food banks in Wasaga Beach and Stayner.

Orillia Rotary Club took five skids of potatoes (about 1,300 pounds) to be distributed around Orillia to  Sharing Place, Salvation Army, St. Vincent de Paul, The Lighthouse, Orillia Youth Centre, EarlyOn Child and Family Centre, St. James Anglican Church, Chippewas of Rama (Mnjikaning) First Nation, Green Haven Shelter, Orillia Native Women’s Group, and the Coldwater food bank. 

In total, 3,500 bags (35,000 pounds) of potatoes were distributed across the region. 

“There are 3,500 families who have potatoes for a week or so … that’s a pretty big footprint,” said Oosterveld. “This was something we could really lean into. We’ve been so isolated for two years … one club said this is the best service project we’ve had in two years.” 

Though the local Rotary club has supported local food banks in the past, Oosterveld said they are “pulling the curtain back” further than ever to really look at food insecurity in their communities. 

“Rotarians have pretty privileged lives … if you don’t look for those kinds of problems around town, you don’t see them, but I think we’re becoming quite aware of it now,” said Oosterveld. “We’re a very wealthy community and yet [food insecurity] is present always. And it’s really been even a bigger issue with COVID-19.” 

There are still potatoes left, so, Oosterveld said, the plans is to make another distribution run on April 2, though there won’t be enough potatoes to match all the first round of deliveries. 

“We have about nine skids left and we are still at the stage where we’re basking in the glow of Saturday and getting feedback from people,” said Oosterveld. “We are going to do it one more time at least.” 

If there is a local organization helping to provide food to people in need, they can reach out to the local Rotary club to request potato delivery. The club is not currently delivering to individuals. 

Though the club is not actively looking for volunteers to help with potato delivery, Oosterveld said there are many opportunities to volunteer with Rotary Clubs, and encouraged people to check out their local club. 

Most of all, though, Oosterveld said it’s important for many people to keep local food banks and food security programs in mind when they do their regular shopping. 

“We need a whole bunch of people to think about donating food,” said Oosterveld. 

For contact details and more information about the Rotary Club of Collingwood -South Georgian Bay, visit their website here.


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Erika Engel

About the Author: Erika Engel

Erika regularly covers all things news in Collingwood as a reporter and editor. She has 15 years of experience as a local journalist
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