Erie County Fair: WNY community breaks food drive record

Canned food collections increases 46% year over year for FeedMore WNY

The Erie County Fair announced the opening-day food drive brought in a record-breaking 140,834 pounds of food from the community. Officials said the donation equates to 117,362 meals for neighbors across Buffalo: “In support of FeedMore WNY, the Erie County Fair offered free admission on Aug. 9 with a donation of four canned goods. This is an astonishing 46% increase over the 96,555 pounds collected in 2022. The Erie County Fair’s opening-day food drive is the largest summertime food drive for FeedMore WNY.”

Erie County Fair CEO and Manager Jessica Underberg said, “This food drive – and the Erie County Fair – is all about community. On Wednesday, Western New Yorkers showed up to help their neighbors, and we are so grateful for their donations. The Erie County Fair team is proud to partner with FeedMore WNY to address the critical issue of food insecurity for our neighbors.”

FeedMore WNY President and CEO Tara A. Ellis said, “FeedMore WNY is incredibly grateful for our amazing partners at the Erie County Fair and our community members who continue to make this food drive possible. The Erie County Fair opening-day food drive is our largest one-day summertime food drive; we greatly rely on these donations to replenish the shelves of our nearly 400 partner food pantries and hunger-relief agencies throughout our four-county service area. We are blown away by the generosity of this community for raising 140,834 pounds of food to help feed our neighbors in need. Not only did we exceed our goal, but we exceeded last year’s totals by 46%! This will make a huge impact in nourishing our food-insecure community members.”

The public can still support FeedMore WNY at the Erie County Fair by visiting the “97 Rock” booth located outside of Slade Park for the remainder. With a donation of $5, fairgoers can spin the Santoro’s Pizza Pub & Grill Prize Wheel for the chance to win gift cards.