This Thursday, the North Carolina State Fair will be hosting their 15th annual canned food day, during which fairgoers can bring four cans of Food Lion brand food to the North Carolina State Fair at any time of the day in exchange for one free admission ticket.
Hunger Relief Day, which has been sponsored by the North Carolina-based grocery store giant Food Lion for the past seven years, is one of the largest one-day canned food drives in the state.
Held each year to benefit the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina, many students flock to the fair on this day to get free admission, as opposed to purchasing a $6 admission ticket.
Although only four cans are required for free admittance into the fair, several fairgoers are seen bringing in several more cans than are necessary in an attempt to help the needy. The relief day’s success can also be seen by how much food has been collected over the years.
Saad Khan, a senior in computer science, has brought several cans to the fair in the past.
“I really like this food drive because it allows thousands of people to be proactively involved in solving the hunger problem in North Carolina. I see the Food Lion Hunger Relief Day as more than just a free pass into the fair, but rather, an opportunity to help others. For this reason, I usually bring 10 or 12 cans with me to the fair to donate,” Khan said.
In 2009, fairgoers donated 222,956 pounds of food, according to the N.C. State Fair’s official website. It also states that the event has collected more than 2 million pounds of food over the course of the 15 years the program has been going on.
The website also has a link to the Fair’s official blog — known as Deep Fried @ The NC State Fair blog — which allows a special behind-th- scenes tour of the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina.
The food bank will distribute the cans to needy people and hunger relief agencies in a 34-county area surrounding Raleigh, as well as with Second Harvest Food Banks in other regions of North Carolina, such as Fayetteville, Winston Salem, and Elizabeth City.
The goal of the event is to help feed as many hungry residents of North Carolina, especially in those areas where the needy don’t have too many resources provided to them by the local government.
Citing the good deal and the want to help the hungry in North Carolina, many N.C. State students plan to go to the fair on what they have termed “Can Day” this year.
Jyoti Gill, a sophomore in biological sciences, said she plans on bringing cans to the fair this Thursday.
“Not only is this a good deal, but it’s an opportunity to make a difference in our state as well, and that’s why I go to the fair on Can Day every year,” Gill said. “Can Day also allows those who would not be able to go to the fair otherwise, due to financial reasons, to be able to go.”
Faiza Mustafa, a sophomore in biological sciences, is also planning on attending the fair with her on the same day and agrees with her comment.
“From what I’ve seen in the past, Can Day is when the fair is the most packed, and that just goes to show how successful the event is,” Mustafa said. “It’s also really cheap, to be honest… especially if you’re going to the fair multiple times, how I am. It’s not like there’s a season pass for the fair.”
