RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — The Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina revealed the total number of donations raised during Smithfield Foods Hunger Relief Day at the N.C. Sate Fair on Thursday.

On Thursday, fairgoers donated six cans of food for free admission to the fair. Smithfield Foods donated 500,000 servings of protein, and the event raised more than 214,000 pounds — equal to 303,425 meals — for those facing hunger across the state.

“The food collected at Smithfield Foods Hunger Relief Day is going to make a huge impact this year,” said Charlie Hale, Senior Vice President of Operations for the Food Bank. “Many of our fellow North Carolinians are struggling with the long-term impacts of the pandemic and the rising costs of goods and services.” 

The N.C. State Fair’s Hunger Relief Day has received more than 6.1 million pounds of food since it began in 1993. Since 2008, Smithfield has donated hundreds of millions of servings of protein in all 50 states and has pledged to donate another 200 million servings by 2025.

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