Thanks to a dozen farms across the Greater Vancouver area, a staggering 150,000 pounds of free vegetables will soon be up for grabs.
You may have heard of “Ugly Potato Day,” a day that’s become growingly popular thanks to Heppell’s Potatoes. Production manager Tyler Heppell previously told Daily Hive that the idea is to give away produce that is considered “ugly” to feed people who are facing food insecurity.
In a recent video he posted to TikTok, Heppel said 12 other farms are joining Heppell’s Potatoes “to give out our potatoes, our carrots, our squash, our parsnips, our beets, our peppers, for absolutely free.”
@heppellspotato Help us get the word out about Ugly Produce day! If you want to help us feed the globe this oct send me a message and join this movement #uglypotatoday #agriculture #farmtok #vancouver #vegetarian #veggies ♬ original sound – Potato Ty
The produce (and even some bread and chocolate) will be available for folks to snag on August 3 on the Cloverdale Rodeo grounds in Surrey.
If you attend the event next month, Heppell’s Potatoes encourages folks to bring their own bags and donate what they can to the local food bank.
If you can’t attend the event in August, make sure to add an even bigger event Heppell is planning in October to your calendar.
Heppell has said that this year, he hopes to expand “Ugly Potato Day” by hosting it in a bigger venue and inviting more farmers to participate. He is currently putting out a call for farmers in the region who want to “be part of this movement” to reach out to him.
The fall event will take place on National Ugly Produce Day, which lands on October 19.
“We are making ugly produce day global and going to feed our communities for a week,” Heppell declared in a recent video he shared online.
Ugly Potato Day
Date: Saturday, August 3
Time: 10 am to 2 pm
Location: 6050 176th Street, Surrey