County Fair Food Gets a Second Life Through FeedHV's Food Rescue Program

Think about the last county fair you went to. The smell of fried dough, the line at the lemonade stand, the kids sticky with cotton candy by the end of the night. Now think about what happens after the lights go off and the vendors start packing up. What happens to all the food that didn't sell?

For the past five years, FeedHV has been making sure a lot of it ends up on someone's table. This season, FeedHV and its fair food rescue team collected and distributed 1,761 pounds of food from three county fairs. That food went to 17 local pantries and food distribution centers across Dutchess, Ulster and Columbia Counties.

A New Fair Joins the Effort

FeedHV has worked with the Dutchess County Fair for five years and the Ulster County Fair for three. This year, the Columbia County Fair joined in, and vendors, volunteers and local pantries showed up in a big way.

"One of the things I'm most proud of about the Columbia County Fair is the way it brings people together and gives back to our community," said Eric Barnes, General Manager of the Columbia County Fair and Secretary of the Columbia County Agricultural Society. "To collect 638 pounds of food in our first year is a tremendous start, and it says a lot about the generosity of our vendors and the people who make the fair happen. We're excited to continue this partnership with FeedHV and look forward to working together in the years ahead."

Isabella Kemp, FeedHV program coordinator, hopes this is just the beginning. "Our fair food collection was such a success this year and we hope to work with more county fairs in years to come," she said. "FeedHV is so grateful to collaborate with such incredible organizations and volunteers. We appreciate all the vendors who donated and send a special thanks to the volunteers who helped move this food."

How FeedHV Works

FeedHV is a program of the Hudson Valley Agribusiness Development Corporation. Since 2017, it has used an app called ChowMatch to connect businesses that have extra food with the pantries and programs that can get it to people who need it. Donors include restaurants, farms, food makers, caterers, event venues and schools.

The network has grown fast. It now includes 507 volunteers, 268 donor organizations and more than 192 receiving agencies. In April, FeedHV passed a huge milestone: more than one million pounds of food rescued since the program began. This year alone, it has saved more than 200,000 pounds of food that would have otherwise gone to waste.

Why This Matters

When good food gets thrown away, we lose more than the food itself. We lose the water, the labor and the fuel that went into growing it and getting it here. Meanwhile, our neighbors are feeling the pinch of rising grocery prices, and local pantries are working hard to keep their shelves full. Food rescue tackles both problems at once, right here in our own communities.

How You Can Help

FeedHV serves Dutchess, Columbia, Greene, Orange, Putnam, Sullivan and Ulster Counties and is always looking for:

• Volunteer drivers to pick up and deliver food

• Food donors, from restaurants and farms to caterers and event venues

• Receiving agencies that can distribute food to people in need

To get involved, visit feedhv.org or email info@feedhv.org. Monetary donations help FeedHV buy directly from local farms, which means more fresh food for pantries and more support for Hudson Valley farmers. You can donate at feedhv.org/donate-today.