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 other community 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 measures to help counter 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 U.S. 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 U.S. 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.
On Friday, March 4, 6,000 bags of potatoes (10-pounds each) arrived in 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.
Locally, Rotary Club of Orillia member Paula Hill-Coulson stepped up and contacted local entities that might welcome a donation of potatoes, including the Sharing Place, Salvation Army, St. Vincent de Paul, The Lighthouse, Orillia Youth Centre, EarlyOn Child & 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, the Orillia club ordered 1,255 10-pound bags of potatoes for distribution.
Tony Telford from Orser Technical and Bryan Bondy from Rush Hydraulics offered to pick up the spuds from Collingwood and brought them back to Orillia. On Saturday (March 12) club volunteers met at Orser Technical to help load the potatoes for distribution to local groups who work hard to help fight food insecurities.
“These club projects are just one example of how Rotarians 'serve to change lives' and it exemplifies how Rotary International and district come together to make a difference in our local communities,” said Allan Lafontaine, president of the Rotary Club of Orillia.
“While serving to change lives is an unselfish act of volunteering your time, the reward of knowing you made a difference in some small or great way is why so many join Rotary," he said.
The Rotary Club of Orillia meets at the Royal Canadian Legion every Tuesday, alternating between noon and 5:30 p.m. Volunteers from the Orillia club have been active in fundraising for the Rotary Train, Rotary Aqua Theatre and Rotary Place in Orillia.
"Our club has been active in clean drinking water projects for First Nations in Ontario that have boil water advisories and internationally in Laos," added Lafontaine.
If you would like to 'serve to change lives', visit https://portal.clubrunner.ca/215 and check out joining Rotary Club of Orillia.
As an international organization, the club has seven main focuses: promoting peace; fighting disease; proving clean drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene; saving mothers and children; supporting education; growing global economies; and protecting the environment. For more information on Rotary International, please visit www.rotary.org
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.”
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.
--With files from Erika Engel
