T-L Photo/GAGE VOTA The Belmont County Jr. Fair Board poses with the Fight the Hunger, Stock the Trailer banner that was displayed at donation dropoff sites during the Belmont County Fair. From front left are: Emma Mazgaj, Savannah Springer, Kamryn Cawthrone, Paisley Secrest, Elissa Goudy and Elanna Goudy. Second row: Sarah Eikleberry, Emma Coates, Addison Kocher, Austin Taylor, Brooke Watson, Jenna Duvall and Emma Welch. Third row: David Lude, Gage Phillips, Daniel Lude, Ryland Wehr and Ronald Duvall.

ST. CLAIRSVILLE — The Belmont County Jr. Fair Board participated in the Fight the Hunger, Stock the Trailer initiative during the Belmont County Fair.

The board collected 5,680 pounds of food and water during the early September event to be donated to the St. Clairsville Food Pantry.

The Fight the Hunger, Stock the Trailer initiative is a yearly competition from the Ohio Farm Bureau and Farm Credit Mid-America. The yearly competition challenges junior fair boards to gather food to be donated to food pantries throughout the state. The winner of the competition was High Meadows 4-H Club, which provided 2,106 pounds of non-perishable items.

According to the Fight the Hunger, Stock the Trailer press release, more than 1 million individuals across Ohio face food insecurity.

The Jr. Fair Board collected donations from Belmont County Fair attendees of non-perishable food items to be placed in a trailer. The board enlisted help from several Belmont County 4-H clubs, Boy and Girl Scouts of America, and Future Farmers of America chapters with the winning chapter or club to collect the most non-perishable items.

“The contest helps county fairs raise food donations for local food banks by creating friendly competition between county fairs across the state of Ohio,” Belmont County Jr. Fair Board President Jenna Duvall said.

She added that across the state of Ohio, the contest has coordinated over 300,000 pounds of donations to rural food banks.

Jr. Fair Board Vice President Austin Taylor said that this year was the first year the board participated in the initiative. Despite being new to the competition, Duvall said that the local board tied in the yearly penny wars that all of the fair barns participate in.

“Each year we have a penny war competition between each of our barns, so that’s our horse, rabbit, sheep, goat, poultry, beef, hog and dairy,” Taylor added. “Pennies will count as positive points, and any other silver coins or green dollars count against it. So whatever barn wins they get the recognition.”

He added that although the silver coins and dollars count against the competition, the board will still use that money to donate. All of the money raised through the penny war went to purchase a skid of water from Sam’s Club for the Stock the Trailer initiative.

The Jr. Fair Board was able to purchase 2,907 pounds from the combined money collected during the penny wars.

Duvall said that although the donations were given to the St. Clairsville Food Pantry, pantry Director Kathi Hinckley-Vaughn said that she has partnerships with other food banks and will distribute the donations accordingly to other areas.

“This was a monumental project for the Jr. Fair Board. Our pantry is very grateful and will be sharing this donation with other county pantries,” Hinckley-Vaughn said.