American Notes HUNGER

Every year American farmers discard millions of pounds of potatoes that are too unattractive to send to market. Why can't this otherwise good food be distributed to the needy? That's what Ken Horne, 42, and Ray Buchanan, 40, asked themselves in 1983. The two Methodist ministers began to collect unsold potatoes from local farmers and distribute them to food centers. Since then, the Potato Project has sprouted in 47 states and has shipped a total of 56 million lbs. of spuds (the equivalent of 165 million servings) to 250 anti- hunger agencies.

Working with a staff of four at the project's headquarters in Big Island, Va., Horne and Buchanan have created a highly efficient distribution network. Farmers are instructed to send their rejects to the nearest food agency, and the project covers their expenses. "At 1 cents per serving in total cost, you can salvage a lot of food for very little money," says Buchanan. However, even with an annual budget of $632,000 (provided by religious organizations and individual contributors), the project still could not afford to ship 10 million lbs. of available potatoes last year.