Just in time for Thanksgiving, 20 tons of potatoes, onions and beans are headed for Potrero, southeast of San Diego. The small town was scarred last month by the Harris Fire. And a Christian farmer in Washington state took notice. KPBS reporter Andrew Phelps has the story.
Don Butcher of Othello, Washington, is an apple farmer. He says his industry has seen tough times over the years. But nothing as tough as losing your home in a wildfire.
Butcher founded Thirsty Acres Ministries years ago to help the needy.
Butcher : In the Bible, it says in Isaiah 58 that if you'll feed the hungry and help the hurting, God will give you success and give you health. Seemed like a pretty good deal.
After the fires, Butcher heard about a little town that got hit hard: Potrero, population about 1,000. Butcher started making calls. He found a grower with tons of leftover onions, ready for a market that never came.
The grower donated them all. Then Butcher got donations of beans and potatoes. His ministry scrounged together $2,000 to truck the food down to San Diego. The trucking company found out what he was up to and did it for free.
Now 40,000 pounds of food are headed to Potrero. But Butcher says please, don't call them leftovers.
Butcher : I want to let them know this food cost somebody a lot. Somebody had to plant it. They had to pay the taxes on the land. They had to take it to market. Somebody had to package it. It cost a lot. That's just like God's love. It cost a lot, but it's free.
The food should arrive in the next couple days.
Andrew Phelps, KPBS News.
