SoSA | Potato & Produce Project

Gleaning America's Fields ~ Feeding America's Hungry

Potato & Produce Project

We salvage tractor-trailer loads of potatoes and other produce that are rejected by commercial markets or potato chip factories due to slight imperfections in size, shape, sugar content, or surface blemishes.

Usually, these rejected loads end up at local landfills. Through the Potato and Produce Project, the Society of St. Andrew is able to redirect these 43,000-pound loads of fresh, nutritious produce to food banks, soup kitchens, food pantries, low income housing areas, local churches, and other hunger agencies for distribution to the poor.

Quick Facts

2012 Results

In 2012, we salvaged and distributed to America's hungry 9.8 million pounds of produce into 33 states through our Potato & Produce Project.

Historical Total

Since the Society of St. Andrew was established in 1983, we have salvaged and distributed across America to organizations serving the needy more than 682 million pounds of produce through gleaning and the Potato & Produce Project.

Because this produce is donated to us, the Society of St. Andrew pays only for the transportation and packaging of the food—an amazingly low 6 cents per pound! That means we can provide food to the nation’s hungry for about 2.4 cents per serving!

food distribution report

Why it Works

The Potato & Produce Project is successful and extremely cost effective for two simple reasons:

First, the food we receive is donated. This food is not marketable for cosmetic reasons, but is perfectly edible. We do not buy the food we distribute. Our costs are for the transportation and packaging of the food we receive.

Second, we operate in conjunction with existing food distribution organizations, such as food banks. We avoid duplication of effort in order to gain efficiency and to cut costs.

More Information

Seed Potato Project

Produce Drop Information