The Big Idaho Potato Truck is about to embark on its fourth cross-country journey, and its mission this year is bigger and more meaningful to local communities than ever before. During its four-month tour, the truck will identify charities in many of the markets it visits and offer “A Big Helping” based on the organization’s specific needs.
In Idaho, 4-H clubs across the state will be the first to receive “A Big Helping” from the 2015 Big Idaho Potato Truck Tour. On April 1, participating clubs will launch a 12-day Food Drive Challenge. The club that collects the most food in pounds for its local food bank will receive $500 to fund a community service project of its choice. To demonstrate its commitment to this new mission, the Idaho Potato Commission (IPC) will make a potato donation to the Idaho Food Bank in Boise that equals the total weight of all the food collected by the 4-H clubs.
On April 15, the IPC will host a press conference at the Idaho Food Bank in Boise that announces and recognizes the winner of the Food Drive Challenge. IPC president and CEO Frank Muir will present the club with an oversized check, announce the donation to the Idaho Food Bank and officially kick off the 2015 Big Idaho Potato Truck Tour.
“The Truck has always had a charitable component to it,” said Muir. “However, the 2015 Tour is going to be a little more personal. We’ll be working with different charities in each market and helping them in ways that are tailored specifically to them.”
To find out if your local 4-H club is participating in the Food Drive Challenge, contact your local eExtension office or the Idaho 4-H Youth Development Office at (208) 885-6321.
Source: The Prairie Star