Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Another 44,000 pounds of potatoes will be given away to those who need them.
The Society of St. Andrew is giving out the potatoes March 26 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. or until the potatoes are gone at the Kosciusko REMC parking lot, 523 S. Buffalo St., Warsaw.
Any individuals, churches, food pantries, soup kitchens or anyone else helping to feed the hungry or needing produce are invited. Fifteen food agencies already have asked for 21,850 pounds. Ten of those agencies are from Kosciusko County and five are from the towns of North Manchester, Bourbon, Nappanee, Columbia City and Akron.
David McCleary, Hunger Relief Advocate for the Society of St. Andrew, Warsaw, said that while the Society provides the free potatoes to help feed the hungry, the Kosciusko 21st Century Foundation Inc. approved a $2,500 grant to pay for the bagging and transportation of the potatoes from Wisconsin.
Helping to unload and reload the potatoes will be KREMC employees and their equipment, Boy Scout Troop 761 of Pierceton, Troop 715 of Winona Lake and the United Methodist Men of Pleasant Grove Church.
The K21 Foundation, according to their mission statement, is "dedicated to maintaining an endowment to ensure health care facilities remain in Kosciusko County and is committed to improving community health and wellness through investments and grants."
United Methodist Men have joined with the Society of St. Andrew to bridge the hunger gap in America. The goals of the HRA Initiative are: to engage United Methodist men in leading the church to end hunger in America; to establish a Hunger Relief Advocate in each annual conference in the United States; to provide 54 million more servings of food annually to the poor than what is currently done through the Society of St. Andrew's Potato Project; and to provide another 90 million servings of food to the poor through new local gleaning ministries established by Conference HRAs.
The Society of St Andrew started The Gleaning Network in 1988. Each year, more than 20,000 volunteers glean 10 to 20 million pounds of fresh fruits and vegetables, providing 30 to 60 million servings of nourishing food to hungry people.
According to information from The Gleaning Network, provided by McCleary, 33 million Americans regularly go without food. Of those, 13 million are children.
