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

The Monroe County Community Foundation is teaming up with Expand Energy to debut the Fill the Freezer campaign at the 2026 Monroe County Fair. The campaign invites buyers at the fair’s Aug. 27 junior livestock sale to donate their hog and beef purchases to fill the freezers of the county’s food pantries and fight hunger – one pound at a time.

In addition to the support Expand Energy is providing the campaign, the NiSource Charitable Foundation and Columbia Gas are serving as corporate sponsors and helping to cover meat processing costs.

Meeting a local need

The Fill the Freezer campaign is being held in partnership with the Monroe County Senior Fairboard and Sale Committee, local 4-H and FFA members, and meat processors.

The locally raised meat donated through Fill the Freezer will not only help individuals and families in Monroe County, where more than 17 percent of the population experiences food insecurity*, but also the food pantries that serve them by providing high-quality protein. Meat is among the most expensive grocery items, making it often unaffordable for both families living on lower incomes and food pantries.

* Source: Feeding America

Learn more

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

Filling the freezers of food pantries across the region

Monroe County is one of the latest to join Fill the Freezer efforts across Appalachian Ohio. This year, more than 10 of the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio’s affiliate foundation partners are spearheading or supporting Fill the Freezer, 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.