Keystone Potato Producers Association (KPPA) has made the decision to provide annual financial support to STARS.

The move was made at their recent AGM in Portage La Prairie, where members unanimously agreed to donate $10,000, which constitutes roughly two per cent of KPPA’s yearly check-off total.

“Many of our members live and work in areas where they don’t have immediate access to emergency care,” said KPPA General Manager Dan Sawatzky. “Having STARS in Manitoba ensures that if an unfortunate event occurs our members will have access to world-class emergency care and transport to a major trauma centre.”

STARS president and CEO Andrea Robertson said this is the first time an agricultural association has agreed to contribute a portion of their check-off dollars to the non-profit organization.

“We know these dollars are the lifeblood of agricultural commodity organizations,” Robertson said. “This is how they fund their operations and the work they do on behalf of members. For KPPA to entrust STARS with these funds speaks to their belief in our mission to provide rapid, highly-specialized critical care to sick and injured Manitobans.”

KPPA encourages fellow commodity organizations to consider supporting STARS.