Posted: 07.20.2011

Mike Carter and his wife, Ali, have been overwhelmed by the number of volunteers stepping up this week to help Wisconsin potatoes - save starving children.

In an interview with Pam Jahnke on the WI Farm Report network, Mike Carter, CEO of Bushman's Inc. in Rosholt, said he realized that Wisconsin's potato industry needed to host the three-day, potato-meal packing event to help feed hungry children all over the globe. The event will take place July 22-24, 2011 at the Noel Hangar in Stevens Point.  "I remember sitting in the Minneapolis airport terminal after a United Potato board meeting thinking, this is something we need to do!"  Carter said

Carter says he believes it's good for Wisconsin agriculture to be involved in such a project.  "Number one," he says, "we're feeding starving children.  Number two - it focuses in on Wisconsin's potato industry, and sometimes the volume and value of the crop we produce gets overlooked."  

The three day packing event is Friday through Sunday at the Noel Group Hangar at the Stevens Point Municipal Airport.

About 500 volunteers will help pack 200,000 meals. The Carters are within $1,000 of their $48,000 fundraising goal. Carter told the WI Farm Report that they're still in need of financial donations - and a few volunteers for Sunday morning.

Carter said he's gotten all kinds of groups involved - including competitors in the food industry.

Feed My Starving Children, based in Minneapolis, hosts events all around the country where volunteers pack food to be shipped overseas.

Less than 5 percent of the events are organized by individuals or couples like the Carters, said Kelli Nielsen, a MobilePack development adviser for Feed My Starving Children.

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