PERRY, Ga. — The Georgia National Fair is only a month away!
To help fairgoers better prepare, while giving back in the process, The Georgia National Fairgrounds and Argicenter are partnering with the Middle Georgia Community Food Bank.
"We want to make it as easy as possible for you to be able to do a good deed, donate some food to people in need, as well as save some money at the Georgia National Fair this year," fairgrounds marketing director, Maggie Lane said.
10 high schoolers who are also Youth Livestock Ambassadors, are hosting a food drive at the national fairgrounds in Perry. Their fundraiser is meant to support and contribute to the Middle Georgia Community Food Bank.
"These ambassadors are from north Georgia, south Georgia, right here in the heart of Georgia," Lane said. "We've added an online donation platform to the food drive this year where you can donate monetarily to these ambassadors' individual campaigns and they will go to the food bank in their region."
The online donations close on Sept. 8 at midnight.
"Our goal at Middle Georgia Community Food Bank is to make sure everybody has the food they need to be healthy," President & CEO Kathy McCollum said.
This Saturday you can head to the fairgrounds to donate food in exchange for a food voucher at the fair next month.
"They'll bring a wide array of fair foods from fried sweet treats, to pizza to steak tips. We've got it all!" Lane said. "There really is something for everybody at the Georgia National State Fair."
"As we get closer to Thanksgiving and to the holidays, a lot of people think about taking care of people who are all in need of food assistance," McCollum said. "This is something we do here all year round at Middle Georgia Community Food Bank, and we'd love other folks just to jump in and help us with that."
The Middle Georgia Community Food Bank is partnered with the state foodbank network, so all the food given to the organization can also help food banks across the region and state, Lane said.
"We try to reach all the people who are food insecure," McCollum said. "The families who don't have enough resources to consistently put healthy food on the table for their families."
For a minimum donation of five non-perishable food items, you can get a $10 voucher coupon for the national fair. This year the fair will be held from Oct. 5-15.
The food drive will be at the entrance of the Georgia Grown Pavilion from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9; you can enter the fairgrounds through the West Gate entrance.
Only the first 500 people will get a voucher-- so get there early!