Plenty of potatoes for Kingston’s Partners in Mission Food Bank

The Kingston food bank is rolling in potatoes. And it’s all thanks to a generous donation from a local business.

Smoke’s Poutinerie runs a program called “Potatoes for the People”.

This year, Smoke’s Poutinerie brought in more than 12,000 pounds of potatoes nationwide, and that includes a donation to the Partners in Mission Food Bank on Friday.

“Right here we’ve got about 1,500 pounds of potatoes, just continuing from last year,” said Phil Helpard, manager of Kingston’s Smoke’s Poutinerie.

“Last year, we were able to bring down 1,500 (pounds), matching that donation again this year; just trying to help out and give back to our community with our potatoes for the people because (that’s what) Smoke’s Poutinerie does every Christmas.”

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And Dan Irwin, executive director of the Partners in Mission Food Bank, says that goes a long way.

“Fifteen-hundred pounds of potatoes donated saves us the purchasing of 1,500 pounds of potatoes,” Irwin says. “So again, we don’t have to buy potatoes for the next three-plus weeks and we can use that money to purchase other food.”

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Helpard says the Kingston store has been in the city for nine years now, coming up on 10, and when you’ve been in the community for so long and they’ve been so good to you, you have to appreciate that and you have to give back.