In Boyertown, a collaborative effort between 20 members from St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church and Good Shepherd United Church of Christ saw them come together to cut seed potatoes for IHartHarvest, also known as The Potato Project.
St. John’s ELC has been actively supporting the Potato Project since its establishment 14 years ago, offering both volunteers and financial backing to the cause. Over the past two years, Good Shepherd UCC has joined forces with St. John’s in the seed-cutting initiative, holding their joint activities in the church parking lot.
Collectively, the group managed to cut 4,000 pounds of seed potatoes, equivalent to 80 bags, which were subsequently planted by IHartHarvest in the following weeks. With a historical yield rate of seven pounds of potatoes produced for every pound planted, the harvested potatoes will be entirely donated to the Helping Harvest Food Bank. Come September, St. John’s will mobilize their team to assist in the crop harvesting process.
All potatoes harvested are channeled to the Helping Harvest Food Bank (formerly the Greater Reading Food Bank), where they are packaged into 5-pound bags for distribution among local food pantries in Berks and Schuylkill counties. This initiative has seen IHartHarvest contribute approximately 1.4 million pounds of potatoes to the Food Bank over 14 growing seasons, averaging around 100,000 pounds annually, thus making significant contributions to feeding those in need.
