Food systems are very critical like breathing we need them and they are there but we often don’t think of them in our daily lives.  As someone who champions water, farming, and food scarcity causes I was thrilled to attend Ugly Potato Day August 2025.  Organized by Heppel Farms and backed by Odd Bunch, the 2nd year for the event the goal was to give away 500,000 pounds of ugly produce donated from 20 farms in the BC region to set a Guiness World Record for the most food given away in one day.  The aim of the event was to promote sustainability, reduce food waste and highlight food insecurity in the region.

Held at Cloverdale Fairgrounds 20,000 people attended at took home 20-30 pounds each.  490,000 pounds total was given away.  The lineup was long but logistics were well run.  In addition to produce there was some packaged foods but I did not see any sign of the chocolate they promised me in line.  For more information read: Ugly Potato Day by Odd Bunch: Fighting Hunger and Food Waste | FinancialContent

Hunger is not a requirement of civilized living.  Farmers are strained by water, land, labor, yield, pest, and supply chain issues.  Supporting farms is supporting health, communities, learning, living!