AV Thomas: Sweet Potatoes Farmer & Farm to Family Donor

If you’re fond of sweet potatoes, there’s a good chance you’ve tried some from AV Thomas Produce. AV Thomas, located in Atwater, CA, is one of America’s leading sweet potato suppliers, and the largest supplier on the west coast. We are fortunate to call them a longtime donor of the California Association of Food Banks’ Programa de 'Farm to Family' food recovery program. Over the past 15+ years, AV Thomas has donated millions of pounds of sweet potatoes to CAFB, which are then distributed to our member food banks throughout the state.

During our visit this June, we met with Jeremy Fookes, Director of Sales, who shared, “We donate produce to CAFB because we don’t want to see any excess, perfectly adequate sweet potatoes go to waste. There has been increased awareness around food waste at the farm level, and we feel like this is something we’ve mitigated by our partnership that we’ve had with the Farm to Family program for many years.” We are incredibly grateful for this partnership that simultaneously confronts food waste and hunger in California.

Does all this sweet potato talk have you craving a particular superfood? If so, you’ll want to check out AV’s vast sweet potato recipe list, including everything from beverages and breakfasts to desserts and main dishes!

View our video highlighting this amazing Farm to Family donor: