A Port Coquitlam church has found a way to put a nutritious staple on the plates of struggling families.
Once or twice a month, Hope Lutheran Church sends a truckload of 1,600 pounds of potatoes to Share Family and Community Services for distribution to families using its food bank.
The spuds go a long way, says Heather Scott, Share's director of fund development, and ensure that families, especially those with children, are getting enough to eat.
"Fresh produce is one of the most nutritious and most needed and valued by food bank clients," said Scott, who added that the food bank, which serves 400 families a week, could not run without the contributions of Tri-City churches.
But the man who helped orchestrate the monthly potato deliveries thinks faith groups could do even more to help out. Claus Schultz said it's easy to collect donations for the food bank every Sunday and then put the money toward a specific need.
"It's easier separating people from their money than [have them] shopping for the food bank," Schultz said, adding that the church's 200-member congregation has been generous, donating about $3,000 each year.
At first, the funds went toward fresh vegetables and fruits but the food bank changed its request to potatoes this year and so potatoes it was - lots of them.
Schultz estimates that more than 16,000 pounds of potatoes will have been shipped to the food bank this year from Heppells Potato Corp. in Surrey, and the local grower is even giving a truck load for free.
He would like to see other churches not already contributing to the food bank to do the same.
"It just takes one person to co-ordinate it but you have to be on top of it," he said. "You've got to mother it along and, every now and then, bang the drums."
