(SEDALIA, Mo.) – The Missouri State Fair is again offering admission discounts with canned food donations.
Fair Director Mark Wolfe said members of the International Association of Fairs and Festivals are participating in a campaign called Dream Big, which has an industry-wide goal of collecting 20 million pounds of food at fairs and festivals held this season, according to a news release.
“During the past two fairs, our food drive has brought in 20,000 pounds of food,” Wolfe said in a news release. “This year we are raising the bar and asking Missourians to help us to increase our collection numbers, and demonstrate our support to Missourians in need.”
The special gate promotion will be offered again Aug. 13, Missouri Farmers Care Food Drive Tuesday, in cooperation with Ford and Missouri Farmers Care. Adults and children bringing cans to the Fair Aug. 13 will receive $1 off gate admission for every can donated, for up to half-off gate admission. Regular adult gate admission is $8, regular child admission is $2 for ages 6-13, and child admission is free every day for ages 5 and younger.
To help facilitate an upswing in the quantity of food collected this year, Missouri FFA and Missouri Ford dealerships will be involved.
Dealers will be giving a $1 off discount coupon for each can brought into their facility. The coupons can be redeemed at the Fair’s admission gates Tuesday, Aug. 13.
Food collected by the local FFA chapters and at the local Ford dealerships will go to food pantries in the respective communities, and the food collected at the Missouri State Fair will be picked up and distributed by the Missouri Food Bank Association.
A Canstruction project will support the food drive again this year, serving as a visual reminder of food products that farmers bring to tables every day. A massive mural of the FFA emblem will be “painted” with nearly 6,000 yellow and blue cans of food and will be on display in the Agriculture Building Aug. 8-18.
Fairgoers will have an opportunity to purchase a can of food at the exhibit during the Fair and place the can in an unfinished element of the emblem. These monetary donations will go to the MFBA.
The mural is being designed and directed by project engineer Patrick Earney, of Trabue, Hansen & Hinshaw Inc., of Columbia, Mo. Bing’s Grocery Stores of Sedalia is donating the food for the project.
The 111th Missouri State Fair will be held Aug. 8-18 in Sedalia. For more information, visit www.mostatefair.com, follow the Fair on Facebook and Twitter, or call 1-800-422-FAIR (3247).