These pictures are showing part of the GWU baseball team helping us remove weeds from a sweet potato field!

These future major leaguers (hopefully) did a great job on this field near Patterson Springs on Sat, Sep. 4. Remarkably, today was part of a holiday weekend for these student-athletes.

Harvesting will begin in approx 6 weeks. We really need rain!

New harvest photos!

40,000 pounds of white potatoes arrived from Washington St in early Spring. Donations from the uptown churches and individuals made this possible. Growers in Wash had a surplus due to limited restaurant business. Potatoes were packed in 10 pound bags, filling a refrigerated trailer. This shipment put the potato project over one million pounds of potatoes given to local citizens during the past 11 years. It was a remarkable demonstration of community effort by such diverse groups as the Cleveland County Medical Society, churches, different organization and numerous individuals.

Here in the county, 75,000 pounds of sweet potatoes were grown and given away. We are thankful for land owners, equipment owners, local press, and lots of donors for making this possible. As always, growing a crop of potatoes would not be possible without a large number of volunteers. (Always looking for more of these.)

In normal years, lots of youth groups spend time in the Summer in our county. That did not happen this year. We were forced to hire people to do the work that volunteers normally do. We spent money that usually is spent for plants, fertilizer, etc. Hopefully, 2021 will be different.

To end the year we are doing something a little different. An open letter will be sent to Santa Claus, trying to continue to aid needy people in Cleveland County. Our letter will testify to our good works and maybe ask for a used tractor, new or used truck, sweet potato slip planter, plows, etc.

Or, Santa can help the checking account grow by making a donation to the CCPP. Every $10.00 donation buys one full hour of labor! That type of greenery can be mailed to: CCPP, 107 Quail Hollow Dr. Kings Mtn, NC, 28086. Being a 5013c, this may be tax deductible for Santa.

We have been blessed in so many ways, even in a tough year. So, we give thanks and welcome your support.

Sincerely, Doug Sharp, co-founder, ccpp

From there we move to the Fair Grounds and unload approx 5,000 lbs for the quarterly commodity distribution. From this point we will probably go to the site on Hwy 74 behind Mighty Dollar ( same site we used last Fall)

This is a lot of moving but is necessary because we do not have enough trucks. We will need a lot of potato boxers to get all these potatoes distributed by noon Sat. This is one of the most enjoyable events we have. Hope you can join us and bring a friend. Even an hour or two would be appreciated.

We have the least amount of money in our account that we have had since the early days of 2010. Feel free to forward to friends who share the Project's goal of feeding hungry people.

Thanks, Doug and Bill

PS. planting started today with 4,800 pounds now in the ground at the Travis Mangum farm. Today marks the beginning of the great onion experiment.

This is the update everyone has been looking for - announcing the beginning of white potato planting season.

Our 8th season of trying to grow potatoes starts Friday, Mar3, at the Travis Mangum farm off Kings Rd in Shelby. Bus loads of Jr. Civitan members, students, North Shelby School students, teachers and other important people will be there to plant 4 acres of potatoes. Also, new this year. Onions will also be planted at this site. Onions are an effort to add to the diets of our recipients menu. Organizations that distribute our potatoes assure us that onions will be a welcome addition to our give away program. Onion experts are urged to attend.

Just a reminder, in our 7 year history, we have given away 732,000 pounds of potatoes. We have been blessed throughout the years by the assistance of so many wonderful volunteers. Remember, we depend on land owners who let us use their land, tractor owners and operators, truck drivers, other equipment owners, donors, volunteers who cut potatoes, dig weeds, harvest, supervise, and pray for us.

On Sat., Mar 4., at 9 a.m., we will plant the Boiling Springs Methodist Church plot in Boiling Springs. No bus loads of students are expected at this site. We need help. We will cut the seed potatoes on site. Bring your most dependable potato cutting knife. This site is across the street from McDonald's in Boiling Springs. Hope to see you there.

Cost will be $8.00. per person. Spouses, friends, and interested parties are invited. Please let me know as soon as possible if you can attend. If anyone would like to present an entertaining segment, please let me know. Just talking is normally not considered entertainment.

Looking forward to seeing you. Again, let me know soon as possible re attendance.

Potatoes can be picked up tomorrow at 1635 E. Dixon Blvd, Shelby.

These are the photos of the "Great Potato Happening" from this morning. The truck unloaded over 40,000 pounds of potatoes.

ALL: Thanks to several things working together, we picked up 40,000 lbs of sweet potatoes from Bailey's Farm in Chadbourn, NC last Thurs and Fri. We picked them up from a parking lot in Shelby, loaned to us by David Beam. Potatoes were transported to Shelby by Kerns Trucking Co. of Kings Mtn. This deal was negoiated by the Bryan Cave law firm of Charlotte. Some lady viewing a picture of all these potatoes in one pile on Facebook made the comment that it was the largest pile of sweet potatoes she had ever seem. A master of under statement.

Some hard working potato people plus some hired picker-uppers, had these potatoes off the ground by 3 p.m. on Fri., Now we need to pay for them. We have a bill for approx $2700, olr 8 cents per poung.

6 to 8 thousand lbes are still in trucks and trailers aroung the county. Do you know anyone who would like to have them? Let me know soon as possible. The extrems cold that is expected by end of week will not be good for them.

Thanks for your support of a small effort to feed needy people in our county.

Regards, doug

ALL: The CCPP is buying a trucvk load of sweet potatoes from Eastern NC. Thsse are seconds and this is somewhat of a risk for us. But, we are doing this for 2 reasons, one- we only produced 55,000 lbls this year, far less than our goal, and two, we may find ourselves having to buy cheap potatoes rather than grow them. Why you might ask, cause, we are getting old and can no longer be as efficient as we once were.

Hopefully, this is what will happen. Truck arrives at Baptist Men's Work Camp and is unloaded Mon afternoon, Nov. 28. Tues morning we will box, bag, and ship potatoes to usual locations. Start at 8 to beat the rain.

Needed, trucks, boxes, bags (bring plastic ones from your favorite store). Move them out. Need several volunteers. If you know someone who needs food, this is a chance to meet those needs.

See you Tues.

Regards, doug

ALL: We plan to harvest sweet potatoes tomorrow, Thurs, and Fri. at the Patterson Springs site on Sulphur Springs Rd Start at 9

4 drops of rain were spottted near Waco today. Please do not let that stop you from helping. Need trucks.

Regards, doug

Update

ALL: On Mon morning Nov 7, at 9 a.m. we will dig the last sweet potatoes in 2016. This event occurs at the Baptist Men's Work Camp on Sharpton Rd. Just off S. Lafayette St. Will be finished by noon. Bring a friend. regards, doug