In Appalachian Ohio, food insecurity rates top 20 percent in some counties. But across the region, communities are putting food on the tables of neighbors with not enough to eat – thanks to an innovative and growing campaign spearheaded by FAO’s affiliate foundation partners.

In 2021, the Community Foundation for Perry County, one of FAO’s 15 affiliate foundation partners, debuted the Fill the Freezer campaign. The campaign invites buyers at the Perry County Fair’s livestock sale to donate their hog purchases to fill the freezers of the county’s food pantries and others to donate money to cover the meat processing costs. The goal? To fight hunger – one pig and pound at a time.

What started as a pilot program has grown into a summer tradition of giving that is putting food on the tables of those who are struggling while supporting those working on the front lines of food insecurity.

Tony Fiore, Community Foundation for Perry County president

In partnership with FAO, county fair boards, local 4-H members, local foodbanks and pantries, and meat processors, the campaign has now expanded to four additional counties:

In 2025, the Lawrence County Community Foundation and the Morgan Community Fund are bringing the program to their counties.

The impact

In 2024 alone, nearly 25,000 pounds of meat were donated through these programs. And in Perry County, Fill the Freezer now provides enough meat to stock the county’s food pantries for an entire year.

Fill the Freezer helps to fill a need among those experiencing food insecurity and the food pantries who serve them – providing high-quality protein. The Southeast Ohio Foodbank, which serves 10 Appalachian Ohio counties and partners with many of our affiliate foundations on Fill the Freezer, reports that only 12 percent of the commodities it receives and distributes to food pantries include perishable protein like frozen meat, poultry and seafood. Meat is among the most expensive grocery items, making it often unaffordable for families living on lower incomes and food pantries who often must opt for less expensive options like peanut butter or dry beans.

2025 Fill the Freezer dates

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.