Islanders score free spuds while farmers help out food banks

It's no secret that P.E.I. residents love their potatoes, so it's no surprise that so many turned out over the weekend to grab a boot-load for free.

Islanders took home boots, bags and buckets full of potatoes over the weekend during the third annual Come Fill Your Boots event. It was held at three farms in the province, G. Visser and Sons in Orwell Cove, Monaghan Farms in Norboro and Spud Isle Farms in St. Peters Bay.

While there was no cost, visitors were encouraged to donate money to local food banks before shopping for spuds.

The event began during a dispute that closed the U.S. border to P.E.I. potatoes, but it continues today to foster farmers' relationships with people in their communities and to spread the spirit of generosity.

Adam Jay, a partner at G. Visser and Sons, says the Come Fill Your Boots event is a great way for the business to connect to the community and show Islanders what it's like to farm. (Alex MacIsaac/CBC)

"We chose to keep holding the event in [the] subsequent years because we felt like it's a really great way to connect to our community and to help people see what happens inside potato facilities," said Adam Jay, a partner at G. Visser and Sons.

"We hope that [people] are just amazed at what the land can produce… [and] we hope they can be encouraged and sparked to be generous."

In late 2021, the detection of potato wart at two P.E.I. fields led to the United States closing its border to imports of Island potatoes. That left Island farms with crops of potatoes marked for export that would need to be destroyed.

Rather than throw all of the spuds away, five farms organized the first Come Fill Your Boots event so the potatoes wouldn't go to waste, and so Islanders could see the severity of the situation.

The U.S. is once again importing Island potatoes, but the rising cost of food and inflation has spurred the farms to continue the giveaways.

Jay estimated there to be as much as 40,000 pounds (18,144 kilograms) of potatoes available at G. Visser and Sons alone on Saturday, and that typically the farm sees up to 500 happy customers during the event each year.

Alyssa May and her son, Wyatt, were grateful for the free spuds, something the single mom said will help keep her cupboards stocked during these challenging economic times.

Alyssa May and her son, Wyatt, went to the event to fill up on locally grown potatoes. (Alex MacIsaac/CBC)

"[Wyatt] really loves potatoes and … it's just me and him, so I figured why not take advantage and come and get some potatoes for the house," she said. "It's honestly a really big help for me and … all single parents across the Island. It feels really good knowing that it's all coming from local places."

In the first year of Come Fill Your Boots, over 5,000 people visited the five participating farms and collected 160,000 pounds (72,575 kilograms) of potatoes. The farms, meanwhile, donated $8,500 to local food banks, according to the P.E.I. Potato Board.

This year, the farms went a step further and encouraged participants to take an extra "boot" for a friend, family member or neighbour who might find use for the potatoes.

Darryl Berger of Stratford filled two boots with potatoes, one for himself and one to bring to the town's food kitchen. (Alex MacIsaac/CBC)

Darryl Berger of Stratford took that suggestion to heart, filling up both of his wife's boots.

"What we'd like to do is take a bag of potatoes over to the Stratford food kitchen and support them as well," he said.

"We need to really support food banks at this time because a lot more people are using them."