08/15/08 Potato industry hopes to grow food bank contributions

Farm and Ranch August 15, 2008 Food banks in Washington are seeing an increased demand for their services given the impact of increased costs of living and a slow economy. But according to Autumn Wies of the staff of the Washington State Potato Commission, food bank distribution centers are only able to run at 30 percent of their capacity. They need donations and Wies says the potato industry wants to do its part. And that is not new. Wies: "We have had growers who have had product donations straight from the field. We've had packing sheds who have donated both product and other packing materials for these food banks." Wies says however, their goal is increase potato industry participation and the Gleaning Project is one way of doing that. Wies: "Meeting with food banks we have found they work with gleaning groups. These are groups who are volunteers who go out to potato fields or packing sheds and will collect the product and deliver it back to the food banks." So what the Potato Commission is doing is coordinating between the growers and the gleaners. That's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report. Brought to you in part by the Washington State Potato Commission. Nutrition today! Good health tomorrow! I'm Bob Hoff on the Northwest Ag Information Network.