Potato farmers in Prince Edward Island are sending 50,000 pounds of spuds to Fort McMurray to help aid diminishing food bank supplies and support wildfire victims.
The devastating fire, which was discovered on May 1, prompted a mass evacuation and destroyed large swaths of some neighbourhoods in the Alberta community.
The provincial state of emergency declared over the wildfire nearly two months ago was finally lifted last week and the fire, which eventually grew to nearly 590,000 hectares, is now officially under control.
Farmers were eager to help when the wildfire first spread, but they weren’t able to send the potatoes until more people were allowed to return to their homes.
Last week, the Salvation Army and Alberta Food Banks made a plea for help in stocking shelves, and P.E.I. farmers say they are happy to answer the call.
“They said ‘Look, our shelves are getting emptied and we really need your help now,’” says Greg Donald, general manager of the Prince Edward Island Potato Board. “I was worried at first that, given the time of year, we weren’t going to be able to get the product, but we got it within a few hours. I shouldn’t have been surprised.”
“There were eight farms from one end of Prince Edward Island to the other, from tip to tip involved, which includes a lot of growers,” says Alex Docherty, chair of the Prince Edward Island Potato Board.
Cavendish Farms is covering the cost of shipping, with the freight cost and food value estimated at around $30,000.
The potatoes are expected to arrive in Fort McMurray by July 14.
