10/31/08 Digging and food banking potatoes

Farm and Ranch October 31, 2008 Thanks to the Washington State Potato Commission, potato growers and volunteers, the Moses Lake Food Bank has several thousand pounds of spuds to provide a healthy produce to the needy. The Commission's Brittany Gies says Governor Chris Gregoire called asking the commodity group to participate in a project to help food banks in Washington. Gies: "What she asked us to do was contact food banks and organize gleaning projects throughout the area here in Moses Lake. And what we did we contacted Penny Archer down at the Food Bank and then organized some volunteer gleaners. What we did was reached out to local churches and schools to find volunteers that would be able to assist us. Then we went out to local growers here in Moses Lake and picked potatoes and delivered them to the food bank." Gies sums up what the gleaners gathered. Gies: "Crestview Christian School was able to deliver 1,347 pounds of potatoes that were delivered to the Moses Lake Food Bank. And Big Bend Community College, they were able to gather 1,100 pounds." In addition, Paul Morris of Morris Farms donated six thousand pounds of potatoes to the food bank and Ann Van Dyke of Blakal Packing donated 25-hundred pounds to the Brewster Food Bank. Brittany Gies thanks several people for making the Potato Commission's 2008 gleaning project a success; Dale, Mike and Joe Gies of Gies Farms, Matt Roberts of Crestview Christian School, Andy and Adam Jensen of Jensen Farm Produce and Barbara Whitney of Big Bend Community College. Diamond M, Inc. and Ochoa Corporation had also offered fields for gleaning. 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.