Livestock sales are a pinnacle moment at county fairs, bringing community together to support and celebrate local 4-H youth. In Appalachian Ohio, this summer ritual is increasingly bringing community together to also support neighbors in need – thanks to an innovative campaign spearheaded by the Hocking County Community Fund and other Foundation for Appalachian Ohio (FAO) affiliate foundations.
In 2022, HCCF debuted its Fill the Freezer campaign, inviting buyers at the Hocking 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 partnership with the Hocking County Fair Board, local 4-H members, the Southeast Ohio Foodbank, local food pantries and meat processors, 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. In its inaugural year, HCCF’s Fill the Freezer generated more than 2,800 pounds of meat; in 2023, 20 hogs were donated.
Fill the Freezer was piloted in the region by the Community Foundation for Perry County in 2021 and has since expanded to four other Appalachian Ohio counties served by FAO affiliate foundations. In 2023, the Gallia Community Foundation launched its Fill the Freezer campaign, and the Vinton County Community Fund helped expand a similar program called “Fair to Family.” The Harrison County Community Foundation started its Fill the Freezer campaign in 2024.
Across our region, communities are putting food on the tables of families in need, supporting those working on the front lines of food insecurity and demonstrating the difference we can all make when we work together.