Volunteers load potatoes during a previous potato drop at Grace United Methodist Church. This year, people can pick up a load of potatoes for free from 8 a.m. to noon Dec. 9, or until supplies run out. DAILY JOURNAL FILE PHOTO
Mashed and baked, scalloped and diced, fried and roasted — potatoes are nearly unrivaled as a food in their versatility.
That makes them a power player in holiday cooking.
And just in time for the season, thousands of pounds of potatoes are on their way to Franklin.
Grace United Methodist will again host its potato drop from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, or until organizers run out of supplies. The church has arranged to have 20,000 pounds of potatoes available for free; all participants need to do is drive up to the church at 1300 E. Adams St. and have a sack loaded into their car.
With many people in the community struggling to feed themselves and their families this holiday season, the distribution has become a Grace United Methodist Church tradition to help people meet a need with a food source that can be used in so many different ways.
“It’s one of the most meaningful parts of what we do as a church,” said Joseph Sanford, pastor at Grace United Methodist Church. “There are so many people who come to the church, and we’ll ask them what brought them to Grace. More often than not, they will comment on how we’re helping the community and serving”
Grace United Methodist Church has organized its potato drop every holiday season since 2012. The event started as an outreach of its men’s ministry, as they ordered the potatoes from Wisconsin, helped unload them in the church parking lot and organized the drive-up distribution for people.
“We’re not trying to do charity. We’re trying to recognize the people around us are just like us, even if they don’t have as much. Maybe they’re going through hard times, but no matter what they’re going through in their lives, they’re no different,” Sanford said.
Donations and support from the church community help to pay for the potatoes and ensure that people who need them can pick them up for free. Volunteers work in the early hours of potato drop-day preparing the logistics to ensure the giveaway goes smoothly.
No registration is necessary — people who arrive at the church on Saturday will be directed to its east parking lot, where volunteers will direct the cars and distribute the potatoes.
“Individuals come from all over,” Sanford said. “It always kind of shocks us how impactful a bag of potatoes can be. But we’ll have cars with multiple people in them, and they all get a bag. It’s amazing how something small like a potato can go so far.”
Church organizers have also made arrangements to provide some of the potatoes to local causes fighting hunger, such as the Interchurch Food Pantry and the Good Cheer Fund.
The distribution will happen regardless of the weather, and people are encouraged to come earlier in the morning if they can.
“We’ll be there to hopefully see them all given away. Our goal is to make sure we don’t have any left over by noon when it ends,” Sanford said. ”If we have some left over, I know last year we found places to take them.”
