Fighting hunger in Gallia County – one pig at a time

Livestock sales are a pinnacle moment at county fairs, bringing community together to support and celebrate local 4-H youth. In Gallia County, this summer ritual also brings community together to support neighbors facing food insecurity.

In 2023, GCF debuted its Fill the Freezer campaign, inviting buyers at the Gallia County Fair’s Junior Livestock Sale to donate their hog purchases to fill the freezers of the county’s food pantries and fight hunger – one pig at a time.

In its first two years, GCF’s Fill the Freezer (with corporate sponsorship from Columbia Gas and the NiSource Charitable Foundation covering meat processing costs) netted 25 donated hogs each year, resulting in more than 6,000 pounds of sausage to feed Gallia County families. In 2025, 27 hogs were donated, generating 4,933 pounds of sausage.

GCF’s 2026 Fill the Freezer campaign will be held Saturday, Aug. 8. The campaign is supported by a funding award from the Pallottine Foundation of Huntington.

In partnership with the Gallia County Fair board, local 4-H and FFA members, the Southeast Ohio Foodbank, local food pantries and meat processors, and the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio, Fill the Freezer brings together local residents and businesses who not only donate their hog purchases but also donate money to cover meat processing costs.

Learn more

For more information about Gallia County’s Fill the Freezer campaign, email Gallia@ffao.org or call 740.753.1111.

Filling the freezers of food pantries across the region

In 2025, seven of FAO’s affiliate foundation partners spearheaded or supported Fill the Freezer campaigns, which was piloted in the region in 2021 by the Community Foundation for Perry County. In 2025 alone, more than 33,000 pounds of meat were donated through these programs, which are expanding to additional counties this year. Learn more about Fill the Freezer efforts across Appalachian Ohio.