Potato Pants Yakima are doing an awareness/ fundraiser event on Sunday, June 1, from 3-5 pm at AC Davis Soccer Field (Tieton Dr/ 7th Ave – next to the baseball field). The AC Davis International Baccalaureate (IB) students (Junior class) are putting on this event as an awareness/ fundraiser for the Spastic Paraplegia Foundation.
Participants will wear specially-made pants, filled with 20 pounds of potatoes and walk, ascend/ descend 3 stairs, step up and off a curb, roll over on a mattress, take shoes off, bend over to pick up an item, then put shoes back on. All with the 20 pounds of potatoes in their pants to see that people suffering from degenerative neuromuscular diseases, such as Primary Lateral Sclerosis (PLS – a slower acting variant of ALS) and Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia (HSP) have a difficult time doing seemingly simple tasks due to partial or full paralysis of muscles.
This is an awareness/ fundraiser for the Spastic Paraplegia Foundation (SP-Foundation.org), which is an ALL VOLUNTEER organization and is the only organization specifically funding research for PLS and HSP.
The event is ONLY $2/person (whether they participate or not). The AC Davis Band Boosters will be doing Concessions and a vendor will be there with scalloped potatoes. Aside from the Potato Pants event, there will be activities for kids and all ages (coloring pages, a Selfie-Zone with Mr./Mrs. Potato Heads and cornhole). There will be giveaways and free T Shirts with a minimum donation if the donation is given on-site.