Spuds will be on the menu across Central Otago thanks to the generosity of an Invercargill potato grower.

The farmer has donated 1.6ha of his crop to support agency Able Minds to help families across Otago and Southland this week.

Invercargill staff held a team building day on Tuesday to dig and harvest the potatoes to be delivered around the city and further afield to Dunedin and Central Otago.

The potatoes will be offered to the public from 9am on Thursday, October 26, from the back of a trailer outside Able Minds on Ashworth St until they are gone. The public is asked to take their own bucket or bag and is encouraged to give a gold coin donation.

Able Minds chief executive Sarah Dowie said because Able Minds could mobilise fairly quickly and get the potatoes out to those who need them, it was too good an opportunity to pass up.

“The cost-of-living crisis has affected many whānau across the district and potatoes are a versatile, nutritious vegetable that keeps tummies full.

"We are excited by this opportunity to help as many people as we can across the Otago/Southland region,” she said.

Able Minds is a Charitable Trust with a mission to provide support to tangata whaiora who are affected by mental distress or addiction and their whānau in New Zealand.

The goal is to provide individuals with the strength, skills and support they need for a better life experience at home, at work and in the community both now and into the future.

Services include activity centres and peer support groups for those affected by mental distress, providing support and advocacy for the family and friends of a loved one affected by mental distress, wellbeing programmes for tamariki and rangatahi and suicide prevention.

It also has a bereavement programme and provides supervised contact for those whānau experiencing challenges associated with separation.

Able Minds has an office presence in Alexandra, Invercargill, Gore, Dunedin and Oamaru, offering a confidential, free and mobile service across the district. People can self-refer on www.able.org.nz or 0800 494 262.