The North Carolina State Fair will hold its annual food donation event for the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina on Thursday, October 23. This initiative, known as Smithfield Foods Hunger Relief Day, allows fairgoers to receive free admission in exchange for donating six non-perishable food items at any gate.
A brief program will be held at 10:30 a.m. at the Live and Local Music Stage, located near the Waterfall outside Dorton Arena at the State Fairgrounds. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler, Smithfield Foods President of Hog Production Kraig Westerbeek, and Food Bank CEO Amy Beros are scheduled to participate in the event. Morning interviews with a Smithfield Foods spokesperson are available upon request, starting at 6 a.m. Donations can be made from 9 a.m. until 9:45 p.m.
Smithfield Foods Hunger Relief Day began in 1993 and has since become one of North Carolina’s largest single-day food drives. Over the years, more than 6.7 million pounds of food have been collected through this effort.
The Food Bank has provided guidance on the most needed items, including peanut butter and jams in large plastic jars, chicken, tuna or salmon in pouches or pop-top cans, ready-to-heat meals such as ravioli in pop-top cans, dried or canned fruit in sealed containers or pop-top cans, and boxes of granola or protein bars with individually wrapped contents. Glass containers are not accepted.
According to event organizers, “In 2024, fairgoers donated enough food to provide more than 175,000 meals. Smithfield’s contribution of 500,000 servings of protein meant enough food for 280,000 meals went to sister food banks responding to the post-Helene disaster in Western North Carolina. More than 500 volunteers contributed more than 2,000 hours of time for the food drive.”
Smithfield Foods’ hunger relief initiative, Helping Hungry Homes, has distributed hundreds of millions of servings of protein across all U.S. states since its inception in 2008. In 2024 alone, Smithfield donated over 25 million servings of protein—valued at nearly $28 million—to food banks, disaster relief efforts, and community outreach programs nationwide.
“We encourage everyone attending the State Fair to bring food donations,” said Amy Beros, CEO of the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina. “Every item collected helps us support individuals and families facing food insecurity.”
