Event to feed those in need – one pig at a time
LOGAN, Ohio – The Hocking County Community Fund’s (HCCF) Fill the Freezer campaign is coming back to the Hocking County Fair, bringing local residents and businesses together to feed those in need.
Inspired by an outpouring of generosity during last year’s inaugural Fill the Freezer campaign, buyers at the Hocking County Fair’s Sept. 16 livestock sale will once again be invited to donate their hog purchases to fill the freezers of the county’s food pantries. The goal? To fight hunger in Hocking County – one pig at a time.
“We were overwhelmed by the community spirit and love for our neighbors shown at our first-ever Fill the Freezer event last year,” said Kristi Brooks, HCCF committee member. “Ensuring that no one in our communities goes hungry is just the start of what we can all do – together – to make a difference in the lives and livelihoods of Hocking County.”
The Fill the Freezer campaign, with sponsorship from the Logan-Holl Foundation Fund, TC Energy and United Way of Hocking County, partners with the county fair board, local 4-H members, the Southeast Ohio Foodbank, local food pantries, meat processors and area residents to fight food insecurity. Every 25 pigs donated provides approximately two to three months of fully stocked freezers for local food pantries.
In addition to donating purchases at the livestock sale, buyers, local residents and businesses can partner with HCCF and local meat processors to cover meat processing costs.
First piloted in the region in 2021 by the Community Foundation for Perry County, HCCF expanded the Fill the Freezer campaign to Hocking County in 2022 – with more than 2,800 pounds of meat donated to the county’s food pantries.
“Fill the Freezer is truly a community endeavor and a chance for everyone to give – by donating, by spreading the word, or by being there to cheer on the buyers,” said Brooks. “It’s a chance for anyone with a heart for Hocking County to contribute to our community, which is why the Hocking County Community Fund exists. By coming together and giving what we can, we will do great and lasting things for this place we all love.”
HCCF was established in 2019 to grow flexible and lasting resources that benefit the people and communities of Hocking County in perpetuity. It is a geographic affiliate of the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio, a regional community foundation serving the 32-county region.
To learn more about HCCF or to make a gift to support its work in Hocking County, visit www.AppalachianOhio.org/Hocking, email hocking@ffao.org or call 740.753.1111.