Miami, Darke County Fairs Join Statewide Fight the Hunger Campaign
Information provided
TROY - Farm Credit Mid-America and Rural 1st have launched the sixth year of the Fight the Hunger, Stock the Trailer campaign, with the Darke and Miami County fairs among those participating in the statewide effort to support local food banks.
The annual competition encourages Ohio county junior fair boards to collect food donations throughout their county fairs for local food pantries. The program, which began in 2021, promotes youth leadership while helping address food insecurity in local communities.
"We're glad to bring this initiative back to county fairs across Ohio and to see young people step up and get their communities involved," Brock Burcham, regional vice president of agricultural lending at Farm Credit Mid-America, said in a statement. "These county fairs bring people together, and this contest gives folks a simple way to support neighbors right here at home."
According to Farm Credit Mid-America, Ohio junior fair boards collected a record 448,827 pounds of food for more than 60 food banks in 2025, a 57% increase from the 286,000 pounds collected in 2024. It marked the fourth consecutive year of record donations.
Ross County was the overall state winner in 2025, collecting 122,640 pounds of food for Brookside Church and the Good Samaritan Food Pantry.
Since the program began, more than 1 million pounds of food have been collected and donated in Ohio and Indiana.
In addition to the food drive, Farm Credit Mid-America donated $500 to each participating fair board in 2025 and awarded additional prize money to regional winners, contributing a total of $63,000 to Ohio junior fair boards.
Farm Credit Mid-America said it invested more than $4 million in community programs in 2025, including $1.59 million supporting youth, college students, and young and beginning farmers.
For more Fight the Hunger, Stock the Trailer resources, please visit Farm Credit Mid-
America’s Community Investment webpage HERE.