Photo: Keen on sharing the fruit of his labor, Kneehill County's Wally Bender has four plots on his west-of-Three Hills farm for growing potatoes. Rural Alberta Report/David Nadeau

Potatoes in 50-pound sacks. Potatoes in tubs and pails. Potatoes prowling loose on the garage floor. Hundreds and hundreds of pounds of potatoes confined to quarters in a deep root cellar posing as a 1950s-era bomb shelter. 

And fortunately, hundreds more pounds of recently donated Wally Bender potatoes tucked away for the winter at the Three Hills Food Bank.

Living west of town on a Kneehill County farm he operated for more than 50 years, Bender, 80, enjoys potato-growing as a hobby that helps more than the local food bank in town. 

Generous to a fault, his largess finds him going as far afield as the Calgary Drop-in Center, a vital link in the city's efforts to address homelessness and substance abuse issues.

The county's abundant summer rains helped produce an exceptional bumper crop this year, making possible a donation of more than half a ton of spuds to the Three Hills food bank. Bender is no stranger to helping a food bank. Trochu's also welcomed a potato donation.

"We have enjoyed," said Three Hills Food Bank President Paul Van Doren, "Wally's generosity for years. He's saved us a lot of money over that time, and his recent donation will help many, many individuals and families over the winter."

Asked if he intends to continue his giving cycle next year, Bender said, "As long as I'm still kicking, I want to keep going. I enjoy it and it gives me something valuable to do."