Surrey farmer donates 20,000 kg of spuds

A Surrey farmer is planning to donate an estimated 20,000 kilograms of potatoes he grew on his not-for-profit farm to the local food bank.

Jas Singh set up his farm called God's Little Acre after renting the land from a local farmer for $1. He then planted the fields using donated farm equipment and seed potatoes from the local farming community and suppliers.

"There was not one farmer I went to [who] said no. The fertilizer companies — I tell them what I am doing and the next thing I know a ton of fertilizer shows up on a flat bed truck," he said.

Singh even donated his own time to run the project between his shifts as a manager at another farm and volunteers began showing up just to help.

"We sold off some old machinery people didn't want. Then we basically just used the resources that were around and used enough money to get the potatoes in the ground."

Singh left his corporate job last year to return to the family business of farming and start this project, and he now feels at home once again between the rows of spuds.

"Farming is a huge addiction. It's food bank farms — something very peaceful," he said.

He says there is lots of land in Surrey that is not being used and he hopes to expand the project to other crops and fields next year.

Marilyn Herrmann, the executive director, of the Surrey Food Bank says they are making plans to ensure the large donation of perishable food will not go to waste.

"We are looking at taking any excess that we cannot use and we may look at shipping it as far north as we can possibly take it, so people in those communities can possibly benefit," said Herrmann.