Hundreds show for ninth annual Potato Fest

The ninth annual Potato Fest had attendees leaving with not only full stomachs, but full hearts too.

Hundreds of Windsor residents filed in to the St. Clair Centre for the Arts where the ninth annual Potato Fest in support of the charity In Honour of the Ones We Love was held. For $12, attendees were treated to an all-you-can-eat buffet of poutine, potato martinis, and many other forms of potatoes. All proceeds go back to the charity that supports those affected by cancer in Windsor.

“In Honour of the Ones We Love started 22 years ago,” said Anita Imperioli, founder of the charity. “We started it to raise funds for cancer patients and children in our community to enhance as best as we could in equipment and to facilitate it the best we could for our families.”

In Honour of the Ones We Love is a grassroots charity, inspired by Imperioli’s own experience of loss at the hands of cancer.

“I lost a child to cancer. You just want to make things better for others that you’ve gone through, and you just want to make it easier for others. So that was our goal,” said Imperioli.

The Potato Fest isn’t the only event that the organization holds to raise funds for cancer research and awareness. Each year, they hold multiple fundraisers such as golf tournaments. One of their most successful events, says Imperioli, is their annual gala.

“Every year we have 1,200 people that come to our gala in February. It’s always a sold out event because people know what we do in this community,” said Imperioli.

However, without the help of community partners around Windsor, the cost of running these events would leave little for the organization to keep.

“We are very fortunate that we have some wonderful sponsors like Molson Canadian, St Clair Centre for the Arts and St. Clair College, who really back us up amazingly in these events and thats why we’re able to do what we do,” said Imperioli.

One of the community partners that have been with In Honour of the Ones We Love since the very beginning, is Motor City Community Credit Union (MCCCU).

“We’ve been supporting every initiative that they’ve done, every fundraiser they’ve had for as long as they’ve been around, which is almost 23 years now,” said MCCCU Marketing and Community relations manager, Becky Langlois. “We were their financial service provider from the very beginning. We’re just proud to be their partner.”

Langlois and MCCCU not only take part in the events themselves, but they also provide the charity with $30,000 to pay for the costs of the events, which then “raises subsequently more money that goes back into all of the programs.”

With the majority of the effort being taken on by Imperioli, she does have a lot of help from community partners like MCCCU as well as others.

“Anita does so much in a way that people don’t even see or understand and she cant do it alone. So she’s got a small team, but they’re fierce. They’re hard workers. We love them and we’re honoured to be associated with them,” said Langlois.

As for Potato Fest, which raises between $10,000 and $12,000 each year for the organization, Langlois says it’s the perfect fundraiser for anyone to enjoy.

“Even if you’re not crazy about potatoes, or even if you’re on a diet, you’re going to let loose today and have some potatoes. its a comfort food. People are kind of happy when they’re eating potatoes,” said Langlois.