Through a first-time partnership between the Farmlink Project and R.D. Offutt Farms, Minnesota food banks will have access to more than 500,000 pounds of fresh potatoes.
The Farmlink Project connects farmers with food banks and charities, delivering millions of pounds of fresh produce that would otherwise be wasted to feed communities facing hunger. An industry connection created the partnership with RDO earlier this year.
Warren Warmbold, vice president of R.D. Offutt Farms, said RDO has routinely donated potatoes from its 10 Minnesota farms to food shelves in the past, but sometimes run into difficulties because those facilities are not always equipped to wash and prepare potatoes for the dinner table.
“We grow potatoes for processing, which means our crop is harvested and sent directly to our partner, Lamb Weston RDO Frozen, or stored in our warehouses until they are ready to be processed,” Warmbold said. “When we learned that the Farmlink Project makes donating so easy – arranging transportation from our potato storage warehouses to a fresh packing facility, then on to the food shelf – it was a no-brainer to partner with them.”
According to Mike Meyer, Head of Farmer Advocacy at The Farmlink Project, RDO’s potatoes have been delivered so far to Second Harvest Heartland and the Manna Market, which then distribute directly to families or to other organizations.
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“This donation of potatoes is especially valuable right now, when neighbors need more help than ever,” said Suie Novak Boelter, executive director of the North Country Food Bank in Grand Forks.
Meyer said the Farmlink Project is always looking for more opportunities to connect farmers and food shelf organizations. “We believe no American should go hungry when there is viable, surplus produce,” he said.
For more information, visit
www.farmlinkproject.org
.
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