PotatoStock 2014 – The Kickstarter Result

Kickstarter

Kickstarter

The Ohio man, Zack Brown, that jokingly created a Kickstarter campaign to fund his first try at making potato salad and surprisingly raised $55,000 has finally paid back the supporters. PotatoStock 2014 was the result of the Kickstarter project that was thrown in downtown Columbus and assisted many people in need in the local area.

PotatoStock promised people in attendance “peace, love and potato salad”, and included bands, beer vendors, food vendors, and a lot of potato salad. Over 3,000 pounds of potatoes was converted into the food of choice behind the Kickstarter campaign that began as a joke this past July. The party was open to anyone and everyone, especially those who crave a good.

Never having made potato salad before, Brown set up his Kickstarter campaign to attempt to raise only $10 to buy the needed ingredients and learn how to actually make the side dish. However, the silliness of the campaign, just to make potato salad, went viral around the world raising tens of thousands of dollars quickly which finally topped out at $55,000 and shocked Brown.

The PotatoStock 2014 party that spawned from the response to the campaign on Kickstarter resulted in the Idaho Potato Commission and various sponsors donated most of the needed supplies and ingredients that Brown needed for the gathering in Columbus. The idea that began as a joke that went viral, turned into something much bigger and drawing in large corporations and foundations that wanted to help.

The Columbus Foundation partnered up with Brown to support various charities and groups that assist homeless and fight hunger. Corporate donations flourished after the Kickstarter campaign ended. The post-campaign account opened with $20,000 and was expected to grow greatly after the proceeds from Saturday’s PotatoStock are deposited. These donations that went so much further than the $10 originally asked for will do a lot of good for the needy people that would not have received assistance if not for a craving for potato salad.

The original campaign, before going viral, asked for donations starting at $1 and increased from there. Thank you’s were as little as a written thank you on the website and a verbal shout-out while making the salad to actually getting to hang out with Brown in his kitchen while he made the salad for a $10 pledge and actually getting a bite of the salad for a $20 pledge.

While it started out as a joke, just because Brown wanted some potato salad, will end up being a huge plus for those in need in the Columbus area. Little did Brown realize that making a joke would end up taking him down an unexpected road and helping a number of people along the way. There is no saying what result the next crazy Kickstarter campaign will bring or if it will attain the same levels as PotatoStock 2014 or help as many people as Brown could from his potato salad craving. All Brown wants to do is “all the good that I can.”

By Carl Auer

Sources:
boston.com
Stuff New Zealand
Kickstarter