From Surrey's The Now newspaper:
At God's Little Acre, there's an estimated 70,000 pounds of potatoes that need to be harvested for the city's poor.
The South Surrey farm, an initiative started by local farmer Jas Singh, has a space that is being utilized to grow vegetables for the Surrey Food Bank and other charitable organizations in need.
Singh initially estimated there were going to be 50,000 pounds of potatoes yielded, but it's now looking like there will be about 70,000 pounds.
"He has grown these potatoes for the purpose of giving them to the food bank. He's strictly giving them away," said Tanya Ponnan, manager of development for the Surrey Food Bank.
"Fresh produce is one of the hardest things to come by. It's very important. Canned goods are great because they have a longer shelf life but produce is something we don't always get."
Volunteer groups have been at the farm with Ponnan and Singh for the last week, helping harvest the massive amounts of potatoes that need to come out of the ground.
And they need a lot more help, Ponnan said, adding that they hope to get all the potatoes out of the ground by the end of September.
Most of the harvesting sessions are happening at 5 p.m. and they are looking for volunteer groups of about seven people or more.
Ponnan said that even if people don't have a group, individuals can call the food bank and help out when another group is scheduled to be harvesting.
A large portion of the potatoes are set to be stored on the farm site for a fee.
Ponnan said that what the Surrey Food Bank can't use, it will donate to other local food banks.
To get involved, contact the Surrey Food Bank at 604-581-5443.
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