Today, at the South Eugene Safeway, the Big Idaho Potato Truck made its first ever stop in Eugene. The truck travels across the country with the four-ton potato, advertising Idaho potatoes.
4-ton potato rolls into town, combining charity and carbs. (Kathryn Young/SBG)
Linda Randall is an Oregon fan, but she says she can appreciate a good potato, saying she’s very excited for the upcoming game after we asked who she was rooting for, “yes – oh the Ducks! But I got some potato chips from over there.”
Unfortunately, you can’t make any chips out of this big foam potato, but the event provided some potato snacks, as well as a visit from The Duck and Study Buddy, the mascot for the Idaho potato.
4-ton potato rolls into town, combining charity and carbs. (Kathryn Young/SBG)
“It was actually originally only supposed to be on the road for a few years, but it’s been so popular – it just brings people in whether you’re a fan or not, just to see the great big potato,” said Brian Jones, Commission Chairman of the Idaho Potato Commission
“It’s really to bring awareness to Idaho potatoes, but also, we have a charity component, which is ‘A Big Help’. Wherever we stop, we donate to the local charities, “added Jeweldean Hull, Managing Director for The Big Idaho Potato.
4-ton potato rolls into town, combining charity and carbs. (Kathryn Young/SBG)
Although the potato may be fake, its impact on the Eugene community is everything but. In an effort to give back, the Big Idaho Potato Truck is donating one dollar for every signature they receive at their events in Eugene.
The donation goes directly toward Food for Lane County, the regional food bank, providing emergency food for community members in need.
4-ton potato rolls into town, combining charity and carbs. (Kathryn Young/SBG)
Dawn Marie Woodwarn with Food for Lane County told us, “Every signature that is on the board equals a dollar for Food for Lane County, which we can turn around and provide two meals for that dollar, so if we get $1,000 out of this, that’s 2,000 meals we can put into the community.”