“Fight the Hunger, Stock the Trailer” fundraiser launched at the Lorain County Fair

The annual “Fight the Hunter, Stock the Trailer” event takes place this week at the Lorain County Fair, 23000 Fairgrounds Road in Wellington.

The initiative, unveiled in 2021 by Farm Credit Services of Mid-America and Rural 1st, aims to fill a trailer with non-perishable food items to benefit local food banks.

Nolan Norman, a member of the Lorain County Jr. Fair Board, said the trailer is located outside the Jr. Fair Board office in Barn 14 and is already filling up with items early in the week.

Donated food can include anything from canned goods to packaged items like applesauce to bottled water, Norman said.

“Water is a huge problem. Many shelters talk about how much water they need,” he said.

As in the past, all items will be donated to food banks in Lorain County, including Well Help Inc. in Wellington, Henrietta United Methodist Church and the South Amherst Food Pantry.

According to Norman, the items in food banks are used regularly and can run out quickly.

“We keep everything in Lorain County; we make sure it stays here at home,” he said. “They use it 100%, they use it completely.”

According to Norman, last year's Lorain County Fair took first place in the “Stock the Trailer” contest with over 23,000 pounds of food donated.

At some point the trailer was loaded beyond the weight limit, he said.

In addition to a $500 sign-up bonus, the Jr. Fair Board has a chance to win up to $5,000 for first place, which can be used for fairground upkeep and maintenance, Norman said.

“We just rode the wave to see what would happen and it went really, really well,” he said. “We're taking it more and more seriously as time goes on because it's an incredible thing.”

Norman said the overall goal is to fill one trailer and bring in a second one.

Although the trailer receives a lot of foot traffic, future fundraiser plans include asking if the trailer can be placed near a gate so customers can easily donate items without having to walk to the fairground.

“The sheer amount of food we can donate is incredible,” Norman said. “It's a feeling you've never had before.”

Guests also have the opportunity to make a monetary donation or donate online via a QR code at the Jr. Fair Board office.