NELSONVILLE, Ohio (AVC News) — Fill the Freezer campaigns across Appalachian Ohio delivered 48,232 pounds of locally raised protein to food pantries this summer, marking the program’s most successful year and expanding its reach to a record 12 counties.
Among the participating counties were Guernsey, Morgan and Noble, which joined the program for the first time in 2026.
The Guernsey County Foundation’s inaugural campaign collected 50 hogs, producing 6,437 pounds of sausage. The Morgan Community Fund collected 18 hogs, producing 2,160 pounds of sausage, while the Noble County Community Foundation collected 28 hogs, producing 3,570 pounds of sausage.
The campaigns are part of Fill the Freezer, an initiative led by the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio and its affiliate foundation partners. The program began in 2021 through the Community Foundation for Perry County.
Fill the Freezer invites buyers at county fair livestock sales to donate purchased animals to local food pantries. Monetary donations also help cover the cost of processing the meat.
The program initially served seven counties: Gallia, Harrison, Hocking, Lawrence, Morgan, Perry and Vinton, where the campaign operates under the name Fair to Family. This year’s expansion added Guernsey, Jackson, Meigs, Monroe and Noble counties.
Since its launch, the campaigns have delivered nearly 140,000 pounds of fresh protein to residents experiencing food insecurity.
Other 2026 campaign results included 2,926 pounds of sausage from 20 hogs in Harrison County, 4,650 pounds of meat from 29 animals in Monroe County and 12,175 pounds of sausage from 100 hogs in Perry County.
The Perry County campaign included 79 donated hogs and 21 purchased by the Community Foundation for Perry County.
The expansion was supported in part by a $100,000, two-year Columbia Promise Fund grant awarded to the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio by the NiSource Charitable Foundation and Columbia Gas. The funding helps establish campaigns in new counties and supports efforts to expand existing programs.
The campaigns operate in partnership with county fair boards, local 4-H and FFA members, food pantries, meat processors and the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio.
More information about Fill the Freezer and ways to support the campaigns is available at www.AppalachianOhio.org/Fill-the-Freezer, by emailing info@ffao.org or calling 740-753-1111.
Last Updated on November 12, 2026 by AVC News
