In Cloverdale, B.C., the rain has a way of finding the fields. It falls on rows of potatoes that have been growing here for more than a century, soaking the same soil worked by five generations of the Heppell family. On this land, faith and farming have always gone hand in hand.
“I grew up on the family farm,” said Tyler Heppell (’17). “Seeing my dad run the business, I just always knew I wanted to run one someday.”
Today, Heppell helps lead Heppell’s Farm, a community-focused company known for its generosity as much as its produce. What began as forty acres in 1920 has become a thriving operation that feeds thousands across the Lower Mainland.
Roots that run deep
The Heppell story started when Tyler’s great-great-grandfather returned from World War I and bought land in Cloverdale. “He grew ten acres of potatoes,” Heppell said. “Then my grandpa had to step up at fourteen and run the farm. He collected the money and grew it to a few hundred acres.”
That work ethic shaped every generation that followed. “We’ve always operated that the farm is God’s farm,” Heppell explained. “It’s his crop and his legacy, so we like to help and bless our community.”
The family’s giving runs deep. “One year, my grandpa and dad used the profits to buy six hundred mattresses for an orphanage,” Heppell said. “Another year, they helped build Cloverdale Baptist Church and donated the land for it. We’ve also been donating to the Greater Vancouver Food Bank for over 40 years.”
Finding his purpose
After serving on Trinity Western’s volleyball team as a student-athlete, travelling through Southeast Asia, and earning his degree in business leadership and management, Heppell was offered a position at a Fortune 500 company. The work was stable and successful, but it left him restless.
However, when an opportunity to return to the family farm arose, he hesitated. “I wrote down all the pros and cons,” Heppell recalled. “Coming back to agriculture had the most cons. But my mentor told me that often in life, the hardest decision is the correct one. I really felt God was telling me to go back to the farm, and I took that leap of faith.”
The decision changed his life. “Now I live with purpose,” Heppell said. “It’s not just about working for a paycheck. There’s legacy and meaning now.”
From family tradition to viral compassion
Returning home meant more than managing crops. It meant continuing a legacy of giving. “Our farm has always been built on community and giving back,” Heppell said. “‘Ugly Potato Day’ is kind of the next legacy of that. We’re standing on the shoulders of giants.”
The idea began in 2022 when Heppell noticed how much perfectly good produce never made it to store shelves. Potatoes that were too small, too big, or oddly shaped were often discarded. “We wanted to help the food banks and help people who can’t afford fresh produce,” he said.
That first Ugly Potato Day drew only 12 people from the community. When Heppell started sharing lighthearted videos on social media about ugly potatoes and food waste, they quickly went viral. His TikTok account now has more than 808,900 followers and has helped spread the message far beyond the farm.
“The first year we had 12 people,” Heppell said. “The next year we had 800, then 2,000, then 4,500, and the police had to come investigate because we shut down 184 Street. The last time we did it, we had 20,000 people come out.”
Feeding the community
What started as a few crates on the farm has become one of the largest produce initiatives in the Lower Mainland. The event now takes place at the Cloverdale Rodeo Grounds, drawing thousands of community members every August.
Ugly Potato Day is a community initiative that provides fresh produce at no cost to people who are facing food insecurity.
“It’s 100% free,” Heppell explained. “People can bring two bags and fill them with produce. This year we had bananas, oranges, apples, cherries, potatoes, carrots, beets, cabbage, and even chips and chocolate. We gave out 460,000 pounds of produce in six hours.”
The food comes from Heppell’s Farm and neighbouring growers. “A lot of it is surplus or just not the right size for grocery stores,” Heppell said. “Other farmers donate, and we partner with the Greater Vancouver Food Bank, who issues donation receipts.”
The growing crowds show the scale of the need. Thousands come each year, a visible reminder that many families in the Lower Mainland are struggling to afford basic groceries. Heppell does not see Ugly Potato Day as a one-time gesture of charity. He sees it as an ongoing response to hunger and as a way for the community to come together with compassion.
Faith in action
Heppell often reflects on how his education at Trinity Western prepared him for this kind of leadership. “Trinity Western gave me tools,” he said. “But the biggest thing was the community. I met solid Christian friends, and through those friendships, my faith grew.”
He describes his work as both practical and spiritual. “When we feed people, we’re helping them physically, but we’re also showing God’s love,” he said. “That’s what my family has always believed farming is about.”
Story by Netanya Castillo.
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