Three County Fair Food Drive to support four local food banks April 11

NORTHAMPTON – The Three County Fair Food Drive returns on Saturday, April 11, where the public is once again encouraged to stop by the fair’s main office at 54 Fair St. to drop off non-perishable, non-expired food items that will contribute to four local food banks.

People can donate at least 10 non-perishable and non-expired food items in exchange for a pair of complimentary tickets to the 2026 Three County Fair, which is set for Sept. 4-7. One pair of tickets is limited to each vehicle.

The Three County Fair has collected over 2,000 pounds of food donations for local food banks each of the last several years. The Hampshire, Franklin & Hampden Agricultural Society is the nonprofit organization that manages the Three County Fair and fairgrounds.

This year, the fair is specifically accepting donations of non-perishable, non-expired foods such as canned fruit, soup, tuna, and vegetables, plus cereal, pasta, sauce and peanut butter for area food pantries that have partnered with the fair. According to the food drive organizers, the Northampton Survival Center, Easthampton Community Center, the Helping Hands Cupboard Food Pantry at BUCC in Belchertown and the Westhampton Congregational United Church of Christ are the local food pantries benefitting from the drive this year.

“The Three County Fair understands that our neighbors deserve food security no matter the time of year,” said Three County Fair Executive Director Taylor Haas. “We are honored to stock pantries at local food banks in our community with the help of our Fair network.”

Donations can be dropped off at the fair’s main office on April 11 between the hours of 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The fair requests that donations be compiled in disposable bags or boxes for volunteers to easily accept them from vehicles.

Haas told Reminder Publishing that while the food drive was born in 2020 during the pandemic to support the community through times of uncertainty, it has remained an annual spring effort to augment the ongoing fight against food insecurity.

“Obviously, our food drive is in the spring, so I think a lot of people typically think food drives around the holidays, but we recognized food insecurity as not just a seasonal need in our community,” said Haas. “We felt that doing this in the spring was just a good way to give back and support our neighbors.”

Northampton Survival Center Development Director Danielle Brown told Reminder Publishing it’s always nice when one beloved local group is helping another.

“The Fair’s longtime support of the center means that when people think about the fair, they also think about helping the community,” said Brown.

The food collected from the drive will help offset the center’s food budget. With a food budget of $300,000, the center can leverage its partnership with the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts and other agencies to distribute food valued at over $1.5 million to low-income residents of Hampshire County throughout the year.

“Food drives bring in a variety of ingredients that our families really appreciate. We always have staples like pasta and peanut butter, but what’s peanut butter without jelly? Jelly is a perfect food drive donation. The same goes for sauces, spices and condiments, the things that make homemade food taste great,” added Brown.

Haas said that the food drive has seen growth year to year since it started in 2020, mainly because the issue of food insecurity is still present on the minds of so many.

“I think, generally, food security is always an issue. We’re just in strange times and have been since the pandemic, and just being able to support the community in that way has not changed. But I do think year over year, we are growing a little bit each year. We have returning faces, a lot of our fair family and members participate in the food drive,” said Haas. “It’s been fairly consistent [turnout, donation totals], but we hope to continue to increase that because the food insecurity needs in our community are not decreasing.”

Located in Northampton and incorporated in 1818, the Hampshire, Franklin & Hampden Agricultural Society promotes agriculture, agricultural education, agricultural science and sustainability for the region through exhibitions, displays, competitions and demonstrations.

The organization also annually operates the Three County Fair.

The fair has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as the oldest ongoing fair in continuous operations in the U.S., with the first Three County Fair taking place on Oct. 14 and 15, 1818, and every year since, without interruption.

For more information on this year’s upcoming food drive and fair, visit www.3countyfair.com.

“I think for us as the Three County Fair, we’re centered on community and tradition and just supporting goodwill and a fun spirit on our fairgrounds. Being able to contribute through the food drive is just one way we can give back and support our community. It’s just really incredible to see how something as simple as a canned good can turn into thousands of meals in our community. That’s very special, and I think, bottom line, we’re about community and just being able to contribute in this way, it’s very important to our society,” added Haas. “We’re just honored to be able to support local food banks and people in our community at a time when people may not necessarily be thinking about food insecurity.”