Volunteer at Duke "Potato Drop" Food Recovery Event
Sign up to volunteer at this service event sorting potatoes for local food relief agencies on September 3rd
You can be part of the Potato Drop! Volunteers of all ages are needed to bag 40,000 pounds of potatoes on Saturday, September 3 between 9:00 a.m and 1:00 p.m. in the parking lot behind Crowell Hall, 10 Epworth Lane, Durham on Duke University’s East Campus. The potatoes, rejected by commercial markets due to surface blemishes, need to be bagged in 10 pound bags for distribution to local food pantries.
Food waste in a significant issue as some estimate that 40 percent of food in the United States today goes uneaten. Much of this food ends up in landfills. Some food is never harvested while other food is culled based on specifications for size, color, weight, blemish level, and sugar content. The potato drop interrupts food waste by redirecting vegetables away from landfills and to food pantries.
Several Duke University departments, including Sustainable Duke, University Center Activates and Events, Duke Chapel, Dining Services, and others, are partnering with the Society of St. Andrew to make this event possible. Many hands are needed to bag the potatoes; volunteers are asked to sign up to arrive at 9:00am, 10:00am, 11:00am or noon and are welcome to stay as long as they like. CLICK HERE TO VOLUNTEER! While all ages are welcome, adults must accompany minor children. Participants should bring a water bottle with them and wear sun protection. Entrance to the Crowell-Wilson parking lot, where the event will be held, is available both from Trinity Ave. and Buchannan Blvd.
For more information contact TJ Pura of Duke's Food Recovery Network: thomas.pura@duke.edu