Hoosiers helping those in need is part of Indiana’s culture, and an effort led by the Indiana State Fair has prompted 27 Indiana county fairs to donate food and participate in the FAIRs Care food drives. Through a partnership with the Indiana Association of Fairs (INAF) and Feeding Indiana’s Hungry (FIsH), these counties have collected 76,363.6 pounds of food for local food pantries this year. The top five counties that have made the most food contributions and will receive a check for $200 are:
- St. Joseph County 4-H Fair – raised $45,881.54
- Porter County 4-H Fair – raised $34,386 plus 2 steers and 1 hog (valued at $4,200)
- Cass County – raised $35,387.00
- Tipton County 4-H Fair – raised $13,395.07
- Hamilton County 4-H Fair – raised $10,271.64
To get these numbers, the Indiana State Fair multiplies the pounds of food collected by $1.67, which is the average cost of a pound of food. Then, any cash donations collected are added to that total.
The other participating counties include: Allen, Boone, Clay, Clinton, Daviess, Fayette, Howard, Huntington, Jasper, Jay, Marion, Miami, Newton, Parke, Perry, Pike, Pulaski, Shelby, Spencer, Starke, Wabash, and Wells.
Leaders in these counties worked with local food banks to secure donations during their county fairs that benefit local hunger relief efforts. Participants of Farmers Care received an allotment of Indiana State Fair tickets to help incentivize donations at the food drives.
“The Indiana State Fair’s goal in this partnership is to help the community of Hoosiers around us and to encourage other counties all over Indiana to do the same,” said Cindy Hoye, executive director of the Indiana State Fair Commission.
ABOUT FAIRS CARE
Since 2013, the Indiana State Fair has partnered with the Indiana Association of Fairs (INAF) and Feeding Indiana’s Hungry (FIsH) to implement the FAIRs Care County Food Drive program. The goal of FAIRs Care is to raise awareness of local hunger needs and help feed hungry Hoosiers. FAIRs Care taps the passion and ingenuity of county fairs to ensure impact is felt statewide. The State Fair has donated thousands of fair tickets to participants since the program’s inception. The Top 5 participating counties each earn a donation to their Fair. Fairs Care has raised more than $139,000 and collected more than 177,000 pounds of food since its inception.
ABOUT THE INDIANA STATE FAIR
The Indiana State Fair is the state’s largest multi-day event celebrating Hoosiers’ spirit and agricultural heritage. These 17 days celebrate Indiana agriculture and promote it to hundreds of thousands of people across Indiana, and beyond. Nationally recognized for offering great entertainment, showcasing youth, interactive agriculture education programs, premier facilities and a variety of unique, fun foods, the Indiana State Fair has been an annual attraction for generations of Hoosiers since 1852. The 2019 Indiana State Fair will be held August 2-18. To pay tribute to the heroism of everyday Hoosiers, this year’s Indiana State Fair theme is HEROES IN THE HEARTLAND presented by Indiana Donor Network. Throughout the 17-day event, the Indiana State Fair will salute Hoosier farmers, first responders, educators, members of the Armed Forces, and many others who keep us safe and make us proud. Additionally, each day during the fair, Marvel Character and DC Comics Superheroes will be highlighted. For more information, visit www.indianastatefair.com.