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 57,536 pounds of food for local food pantries this summer. The top five counties that have made the most food contributions and will receive a check for $200 are:
- Cass County 4-H Fair – raised $34,051.30
- Tipton County 4-H Fair – raised $11,669.96
- Miami County 4-H Fair – raised $9.352.00
- Putnam County 4-H Fair – raised $8.205.00
- Wells County 4-H Fair – raised $5,038.3
To calculate 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 FAIRs Care food drive program allows us to give back to the community by helping Hoosiers in need and by encouraging other counties throughout Indiana to do the same,” says Cindy Hoye, Indiana State Fair Commission executive director.
Other counties participating in FAIRs Care include Allen, Boone, Clay, Clinton, Daviess, Fayette, Fountain, Hamilton, Hancock, Harrison, Hendricks, Howard, Huntington, Jasper, Jay, Newton, Parke, Perry, Pulaski, Shelby, Vermillion, and Wabash.
Leaders in these counties worked with local food banks to secure donations during their county fairs to benefit local hunger relief efforts. Participants of FAIRs Care received an allotment of Indiana State Fair tickets to help incentivize donations at the food drives.
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 the impact is felt state-wide. The Top 5 participating counties each earn a donation to their Fair. FAIRs Care has raised more than $83,000 and collected more than 101,000 pounds of food since its inception.