WINDSOR, Vt. -
Potatoes and prisoners, an award winning combination?
Well stay with us, potatoes that might have ended up unused are being cleaned and bagged by inmates at the Southeast State Correctional Facility in Windsor.
It's nice to be able to share some good news about the men and women who haven't been outstanding members of society, but now it's their turn to give back. All of the potatoes they bag will go to food shelves across the state. Many of them say this experience has changed them forever.
Down a road, behind a barbed wire fence, criminals are serving time, "I did an original sentence for car theft," Inmate Matthew Williams said. "I'm in here for DUI's," Inmate Matt Mabe said.
But there's something unique going on, designed to put food on the table for thousands of Vermonters. Governor Shumlin toured the "pilot potato project" Monday.
"We're paying for them every single day; they ought to be working for us," Gov. Shumlin said.
The Southeast State Correctional Facility partnered with the nonprofit Salvation Farms, it works with agricultural surplus, in this case, potatoes.
"So we approached our friends at Tuberville who grow food for donation," Theresa Snow of Salvation Farms said.
And that's how the well oiled machine got started.
"This is food that would otherwise be wasted. This is a good experience for them to see, I can do something good, it feels good, it gets recognized and there's value and I think that's a really good lesson for them," Andy Pallito of the Dept. of Corrections said.
The potatoes will eventually make their way to the Food Bank in Brattleboro where they will feed thousands of families.
And the inmates, like Matt Williams and Matt Mabe have packed close to six tons in under three days, but they're getting far more than they bargained for.
"Coming from a criminal background, it's good to give back and share the time that I have and make it worthwhile," Williams said.
Both men say having found what it means to give back will change them once they're out.
"I think it's good to have a purpose and I think that's one thing that's lacked throughout my life is just having any sort of purpose."
Governor Shumlin says he'd like to see more projects like this one, in prisons all across the state.
