You can bake them, boil them, fry them and use them in soups and stews.
They're potatoes, one of the most versatile vegetable around, and, thanks to the congregation at Hope Lutheran Church in Port Coquitlam, are in plentiful supply at the food bank run by Share Family and Community Services.
Hope Lutheran students Lauren Towriss and Abby Berg say they are both "proud" and "delighted" that up to 40,000 pounds of potatoes are delivered each year to Share for families that use the food bank.
Claus Schultz, who has been organizing the church's Share food bank contribution since 2007, said money used to go to fresh fruits and vegetables but potatoes were considered a better and more versatile item.
Since the church switched to potatoes in 2011, as many as 160,000 pounds have been picked up from Heppell's Potato Farm in Surrey and delivered to the food bank for distribution in food hampers.
Laid end to end, that many potatoes is the equivalent of driving to Abbotsford from Port Coquitlam.
And Roxanne MacDonald, interim chief executive officer for Share, agreed that's a lot of potatoes.
"It does make big a difference," said MacDonald, noting that last year's contribution of 33,000 pounds of potatoes resulted in Share's 5,000 food bank clients getting the equivalent of about six pounds of potatoes each.
"It (the contribution) is relevant and useful in so many ways."
How about scalloped?
