The Interfaith Food Bank Society of Lethbridge received 17,000 lbs. of potatoes to feed thousands of local families thanks to a crop donation by Farming Smarter.
The spuds come from field trials in which Farming Smarter researchers examined the yield response to various fertility rates.
Once the trials were complete, results were analyzed and the potatoes were brought into storage.
Ken Coles, Executive Director at Farming Smarter, says the potatoes were for research purposes only and were not part of any contracts with external partners, so we were free to do with them what we pleased.
He says it was a “no-brainer” to donate them to Interfaith Food Bank and ensure they could be used to help those in need.
“As we processed the potatoes for data – we measure them and weigh them – there was this opportunity to get new donations throughout the fall that suited their needs well. It was a win-win situation,” says Coles.
The potatoes were picked up between September and December 2025.
Danielle McIntyre, Executive Director at Interfaith, says she was grateful to receive such a large haul, adding that it has made a big difference for families in need.
“Donations coming in at any time is impactful, but it was really nice to have the volumes coming in the way you did,” says McIntyre.
Interfaith Food Bank typically packs potatoes into 10 lb. bags, meaning it was enough to go out to as many as 1,700 homes.
Through the Food Share program, Interfaith not only gives out food to its own clients, but shares surplus supplies with other food banks in the region, as well as schools, homeless shelters, soup kitchens, churches, and other community groups.
Interfaith Food Bank runs two community kitchen programs that aim to help people learn how to cook good food on a budget.
The Interfaith Chinook Country Kitchen provides free cooking lessons for the public that are meant to teach both adults and children how to prepare healthy food on a limited budget.
The Co-Op Community Kitchen is primarily used for food security initiatives, but is also open to community groups to use.
McIntyre says she loves to teach people about how to prepare potatoes because they are “belly-filling.”
“Sometimes, people can choose to just have a baked potato with toppings, and they can actually get a meal out of it. We find that a lot of families will take those potatoes and incorporate them into their meals – they can be sides or part of the mains,” says McIntyre.
She adds that potatoes are not only a diverse food in that they can be prepared in many different ways, but is often culturally appropriate.
Potato-based dishes are found in just about every part of the world, so when somebody moves to Canada, they can sometimes see potatoes as something that is familiar, even though many other aspects of their new lives here are different.
Knowing that fresh produce like potatoes are only going to last so long, McIntyre says a major focus of theirs has been ensuring that food reaches people before it spoils.
“We’re in a food security crisis right now. When we have so many people who don’t have enough food, the last thing we want to be doing is wasting the resources that our agriculture community has produced for us.”
Food Banks Canada reports that the demand for food banks reached a record high in March 2025, with over 2.16 million visits in that month alone.
The Interfaith Food Bank Society of Lethbridge has won several awards for its charity work, including making Charity Intelligence’s Top 100 Charities list in consecutive years.
You can learn more about Interfaith Food Bank and how to support them here.
Building and Inspiring a Culture of Innovation in Western Canada Agriculture
Farming Smarter is an agriculture innovation hub based out of Lethbridge, Alberta. Our mission is to support the people involved in advancing irrigated and dryland crop production. We work closely with farmers, entrepreneurs, businesses, government, academia and more to bridge the innovation gap, drive economic growth, improve social impact and environmental sustainability.
We are a policy governed, non-profit organization with by-laws under the Alberta Societies Act, and a Canadian Charity registered under the Canada Revenue Agency. If you like what we do, please consider supporting Farming Smarter by making a donation, sponsoring us, or come to us for your agricultural research needs.
Innovation is hard and about long-term results. We invite anyone interested in agriculture innovation to work with us and together we can change the way people farm.
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