21 tons of spuds coming to 'Potato Drop' May 4 to benefit local pantries
On Saturday, May 4, Church of the Good Shepherd United Methodist, 5 W. Washington St. in Oswego, will host its first "Potato Drop" of 21 tons to benefit area food pantries.
Craig McGregor of Oswego, coordinator of the church's Drop, said a tractor-trailer will deliver 42,000 lbs. of salvaged potatoes in 10-pound bags from Wisconsin to the church parking lot at 8 a.m.
At 9:30 a.m., 13 area food pantries from 10 communities including Aurora, Yorkville, Batavia, Geneva, Naperville, Sugar Grove, and Plainfield will pick up free potatoes at the lot.
The distribution is sponsored by the church's United Methodist Men's group in partnership with Society of St. Andrew, a Big Island, Va.-based nonprofit that salvages fresh produce for free delivery to food banks, soup kitchens, Native American reservations and other distribution agencies.
Society of St. Andrew is a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian ministry dedicated to fighting hunger in the U.S. by salvaging fresh produce that would go to waste and deliver it to people in need. Formed in 1979 by two United Methodist pastors, the society is an advance special mission project of the United Methodist Church.
Through the society's Potato and Produce Project, 10-15 million pounds of produce is salvaged annually to provide 30-45 million servings of food to food banks, soup kitchens, Native American reservations and other distribution agencies for free.
The society's Harvest of Hope and the Gleaning Network also salvage millions of pounds of food from farmers' fields and deliver it to the nation's hungry. The USDA estimates more than 25 percent of food grown in he U.S. is never made available for people to eat.
Reasons are:
• Harvesting methods leave much produce in fields.
• Much more is deemed excess or unmarketable because it is not attractive enough and is plowed under or dumped into landfills where creates methane, a harmful greenhouse gas.
• After food is delivered to supermarkets and restaurants, 133 billion pounds of food is thrown away annually.
• Ministries of the society deliver food to the nation's hungry at a cost of about 3 cents per serving.
The pantries where potatoes are requested include:
• Aurora: Salvation Army, 200 pounds; Holy Angels Church Pantry, 2,000 pounds; Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry, 8,000 pounds
• Batavia: Batavia Interfaith Food Pantry, pounds
• Geneva: Geneva: St. Peter's Church Pantry, 2,000 pounds; Northern Illinois Food Bank, remainder after pantries' pickup
• Lee: Neighbors in Christ Ecumenical, 500 pounds
• Naperville: Calvary Church Pantry, 250 pounds; Loaves & Fishes Community Services, 8,000 pounds
• New Lenox: New Lenox United Methodist Church, 8,000 pounds
• Orland Park: Orland Park United Methodist Church, 2,000 pounds
• Plainfield: Green Food Pantry, 1,000 pounds
• Sandwich: Cornerstone Church, 700 pounds
• Sugar Grove: Sugar Grove Between Friends, 2,000 pounds
• Sycamore: Sycamore United Methodist Church, 1,200 pounds
• Yorkville: Kendall County Community Food Pantry, 6,000 pounds
Call (630) 346-2239 for more information.