Food Hub donates potatoes to Pantry

The Local Food Hub, a nonprofit organization that delivers fresh produce from local farmers to local retailers, distributors and institutions, donated more than 700 pounds of sweet and red potatoes to the Nelson Food Pantry last week.

It was the first time that the Hub, based in Albemarle County, made a donation of that kind to the Nelson Food Pantry, but it probably will continue, said Alan Moore, the Hub’s purchasing and operations director.

“The food is being grown in Nelson County and we’d love to see it stay with folks in Nelson County,” Moore said. “If we could get food that’s grown there and that needs a home, we want to make sure that we can help that process.”

The donation will help more than 250 Nelson County families, Moore said.

The potatoes came from Critzer Family Farms, of Afton, and were an excess crop the farm had available because they were “below retail grade.”

“Rather than have them go to waste, we’ll get them to folks who really need them,” Moore said. “They’re great quality. They taste fine, but they may not have a retail quality look to them.

“In previous years, these things get composted because they are hard to sell.”

The Hub, which has worked previously with the Jefferson Area Food Bank, has not been able to donate to the Nelson Food Pantry because of storage problems.

Now, after a recent donation of a walk-in refrigeration unit and freezer, the food pantry will have more fresh produce.

The Nelson Food Pantry is a privately funded, nonprofit organization and is a member of the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank. It distributes food on the last Saturday of every month to more than 700 Nelson County residents.