• Fresh produce from the fair to feed local families

This is the first year the Afton Food Pantry and Lincoln County Fair have  created a system to limit the waste from the quality produce entered into the fair from communities throughout the area.

After seeing the amount of waste last year, Afton Food Pantry President Sierra Mitchell thought “There has to be a way to take what was donated and benefit the patrons served weekly.”

She shared her idea with the Fairboard, thinking they would organize it for next year (2025), but they were excited to have the pantry work with them right away for 2024.

Mitchell shared the excitement to have the opportunity to utilize the “wonderful produce that comes in.” She also shared that nearly all who have entered produce have donated their items to feed the local families.

Each item donated shows a light blue ribbon stating, “Grand Hunger Champion. Helping Others Is its Own Reward.” The donated entries have one piece of the donation left, with all other portions already gathered by the Afton Food Pantry.

With 28.5 dozen eggs and 52 pounds of produce donated,  the Afton Food Pantry is excited to see this continue the program for the foreseeable future. Mitchell hopes that it helps others throughout the state to see what a positive impact this will have for those who may not have access to quality produce.