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174 hogs donated to Fill the Freezer and Fair to Family programs<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n NELSONVILLE, Ohio<\/strong> \u2013 Food pantry freezers are a lot fuller in four Appalachian Ohio counties, thanks to local campaigns and generous communities that banded together to help neighbors in need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Four geographic affiliates of the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio (FAO) spearheaded campaigns this summer that invited buyers at their county fairs\u2019 livestock sales to donate their hog purchases to help stock the freezers of local food pantries and fight hunger \u2013 one pig at a time. The result? Generous individuals and businesses in Gallia, Hocking, Perry and Vinton counties donated a total of 174 pigs, as well as thousands of dollars to help cover meat processing costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Community Foundation for Perry County (CFPC) piloted the Fill the Freezer campaign in the region in 2021, followed by the Hocking County Community Fund (HCCF) in 2022. This summer saw the Gallia Community Foundation (GCF) debut its first Fill the Freezer campaign and the Vinton County Community Fund (VCCF) assume ownership of a similar Fair to Family program launched by a local teacher in 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThese campaigns showcase our communities at their finest and the love and generosity that have always defined Appalachian Ohio,\u201d said Tracy Mann, FAO senior director of outreach. \u201cWitnessing our affiliate foundations unite residents of all ages, businesses and community partners to achieve profound impact in a single day shows how we can all make a difference in the lives in and livelihoods of the places we love by working together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n CFPC\u2019s 2023 Fill the Freezer campaign, with corporate sponsorship from Columbia Gas and the NiSource Charitable Foundation, resulted in 71 hogs donated and an additional 49 purchased through the community foundation \u2013 for a total of 120 hogs. The approximately 13,215 pounds of sausage, valued at more than $59,400, is expected to fill the freezers of Perry County\u2019s food pantries for an entire year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n HCCF\u2019s 2023 campaign generated 20 donated hogs while GCF\u2019s Fill the Freezer, with corporate sponsorship from Columbia Gas and the NiSource Charitable Foundation, netted 25 donated hogs. Eight of the 30 hogs purchased at the Vinton County Junior Fair\u2019s livestock sale were donated to VCCF\u2019s Fair to Family with a local family giving an extra hog, yielding nearly triple the impact of the program\u2019s previous years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Each of these campaigns is held in partnership with the county fair boards, local 4-H members, local food pantries and meat processors. The Fill the Freezer campaign partners with the Southeast Ohio Foodbank, which stores and distributes the meat to its member food pantries in each county, while the Fair to Family program partners with the St. Francis Evangelization Center\u2019s food pantry in McArthur. <\/p>\n\n\n\n