Spuds aplenty!

TORRINGTON – For now, there’s no potato famine in Goshen County.
Late last month, a local farmer donated 11 pallets – some 11,000 pounds – of small, red tubers to Land of Goshen Ministries in Torrington.
LOGM is a non-profit, Christian-based organization that uses sales from its thrift store to purchase items for its food pantry, which are then distributed once per month to families in the area.
Tracy Davis, LOGM manager, said because of the sheer volume of the donation, the potatoes are free and open to the public to pick up during regular business hours (Tuesday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.) for as long as they last.
“We do get quite a bit of donations, but not at this magnitude,” Davis said. “Some people have been taking potatoes for their neighbors, too, which is awesome. We’ve got bags and boxes, or people can bring their own. Some have brought laundry baskets.”
A LaGrange farmer, who wished to remain anonymous, said he chose LOGM for the donation because it was “the closest and best outlet to distribute the potatoes.”
“The commercial market is very meticulous about the color (of the potatoes), and the color wasn’t (red) enough,” the farmer said. “There’s nothing wrong the potatoes. Hopefully everybody enjoys them.”

As of Friday, just two or three of the original 11 donated pallets remained.
“We distributed 6,000 to 7,000 pounds in three days,” Janice Flom, LOGM volunteer, said. “There are two or three pallets left. They came on Monday and began distributing on Tuesday. It proves there’s a need.”
Davis agreed.
“Especially this time of year, with the end of the month when money tends to run out – it’s such a huge blessing for the community and beyond,” she said.
Individuals from as far as Guernsey and Scottsbluff, Neb., have traveled to Torrington to pick up potatoes.
Missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Elder and Sister Winder, said they felt right at home working to scoop and bag the potatoes – a staple of their Idaho home.
“We’ve been here just over one year,” Sister said. “We volunteer some here (at LOGM), at the prison and at the church. What a blessing it is to see people appreciate (the potatoes), and what a great community – the help we’ve had.”
Davis said employees at Panhandle Co-Op, across the highway from LOGM, volunteered a fork lift to help unload the potatoes when they arrived. Many people who have stopped to pick up potatoes have assisted others while they were there.
“It proves what a wonderful community we have,” she said. “And the farmer uses his own truck and gas to deliver the potatoes.”
Residents shouldn’t worry if they aren’t able to snag a bag, box or laundry basket of potatoes this time around – there’s another 11,000 pounds waiting to be distributed at a later date.
“We’ll announce when we get the second (shipment),” Davis said.

LOGM is located at 801 West Valley Rd. in Torrington. For questions or more information, call (307) 532-3884.