Last week, VIP Tour & Charter Bus Co. turned their Portland, Maine location into a hub of generosity, distributing over a ton of Maine potatoes to local organizations as part of their annual “Potato Palooza” initiative.
The Boys and Girls Clubs of Southern Maine and The Root Cellar in Portland received van loads of potatoes for Thanksgiving dinners and residents in need. This year, the program also expanded to Western Oxford County, Maine, and Conway/North Conway, New Hampshire, with the support of VIP’s new owners, David and Rhonda Swirk, who also own the Conway Scenic Railroad.
Several Maine transportation companies joined the effort, including Cyr Bus Line in Old Town, NorthEast Charter in Lewiston, and Dirigo School Bus Company, with each distributing tons of potatoes among their employees and donating the rest to local pantries and soup kitchens.
“This was a fun event,” said Scott Riccio, owner of NorthEast Charter in Lewiston, adding that the companies made direct donations.
“In turn, we all received 1 ton of freshly harvested Maine potatoes. We gave them away to employees, friends, and family, plus provided hundreds of pounds to food shelters and food pantries in our towns,” Riccio said.
Effort spreads across Maine
What started as a creative way to spread holiday cheer has grown into a statewide effort to support food pantries and soup kitchens across Maine.
Jason Briggs, Vice President of Business Development at VIP Tour & Charter Co., launched “Potato Palooza” nearly two decades ago, turning Maine’s signature crop into a lifeline for communities in need.
This is the second year he’s hosted the Potato Palooza in Portland and raised $12,000. The remaining several tons of potatoes will be delivered to Good Shepherd Food Bank, he said.
“Maine Farmers Exchange and Bob Davis (co-owner of the Maine Farmers Exchange, in Presque Isle) have played a huge role in this process,” Briggs said. “They are the shipping agent for the farmers. They have donated their time and funds toward this project, as have the Maine Potato Farmers. I am sure they have donated a tremendous amount of the potatoes at no cost or a very reduced price.”
Each November, VIP’s bus bay in Portland transforms into a hub of generosity, filled with freshly harvested Maine potatoes destined for food pantries, soup kitchens, and social service organizations throughout southern Maine.
Offbeat idea blossoms
The tradition dates back 18 years, when Briggs had a simple idea: Instead of sending greeting cards to business associates, why not send them bags of Maine potatoes?
Drawing on his early experience working on potato farms and his friendship with Davis, Briggs ordered his first pallet of freshly harvested potatoes.
Weighing in at a ton and divided into 200 10-pound bags, the potatoes quickly found homes with recipients on his greeting card list. But with plenty left over, Briggs donated the surplus to a nearby food pantry and soup kitchen.
“One soup kitchen uses about 750 pounds of potatoes a week, so that’s a lot of potatoes,” Briggs recalled.
The following year, Briggs ordered two pallets. The year after that, three.
By 2020, Potato Palooza hit a milestone when Briggs unexpectedly received 50,000 pounds of potatoes, 10 times his original order. Drawing on his decades of transportation expertise, Briggs managed to distribute the surplus to food pantries across Maine.
The event has since expanded into a collaborative effort uniting bus operators and community leaders to fight hunger and has become a cherished tradition.
