Campaign aims to fight hunger in Jackson County – one pig at a time
JACKSON, Ohio – The Jackson County Community Foundation (JCCF) will debut its Fill the Freezer campaign at the 2026 Jackson County Fair, bringing local residents, businesses and organizations together to help community members facing food insecurity.
The campaign invites buyers at the fair’s July 24 livestock sale to donate their hog purchases to fill the freezers of the county’s food pantries and others to donate money to cover meat processing costs. The goal? To fight hunger in Jackson County – one pig at a time.
Leading the effort are Maddie Allman-Winters and Bri Jenkins, JCCF committee members and two of seven individuals living and/or working in Jackson County who were selected for the inaugural class of Growing Home Fellows. The Foundation for Appalachian Ohio (FAO) launched the Growing Home Fellowship in 2023, investing in emerging leaders across the region who commit to live, work and volunteer in their communities and take part in a leadership program that includes one-on-one coaching, skill development, service and more.
The Fill the Freezer campaign is being held in partnership with the Jackson County Fair Board, local 4-H and FFA members, meat processors and the Southeast Ohio Foodbank, which will store and distribute the donated meat to Jackson County food pantries. The NiSource Charitable Foundation and Columbia Gas are serving as corporate sponsors of the campaign.
“When community comes together like this, everyone benefits,” said Allman-Winters, who is a 4-H youth development extension educator with the Ohio State University Extension Office in Jackson County. “4-H and FFA teach our youth leadership, responsibility and community service. Fill the Freezer builds on those efforts, allowing them to partner with others in their community and help feed our neighbors in need.”
Allman-Winters noted that generous donors have already stepped up to cover the processing fees for 12 hogs. Now, JCCF needs businesses and individuals to purchase and donate 12 hogs at the livestock sale, which begins at 3 p.m.
Locally raised meat donated through Fill the Freezer will not only help individuals and families in Jackson County, where nearly 19 percent of the population experiences food insecurity, but also the food pantries that serve them by providing high-quality protein. The Southeast Ohio Foodbank, which serves food pantries in 10 Appalachian Ohio counties including Jackson County, reports that only 12 percent of the commodities it receives and distributes is perishable protein like frozen meat, poultry and seafood.
“Generosity makes programs like this possible,” said Jenkins. “Fill the Freezer is just one example of the many ways JCCF, our donors, partners and community members are investing in the well-being of Jackson County.”
JCCF is one of a growing number of FAO’s affiliate foundation partners spearheading or supporting Fill the Freezer and similar campaigns. In 2025 alone, more than 33,000 pounds of fresh, local protein – one of the most expensive staples for both families stretched thin and the food pantries that serve them – were donated through these programs.