Get into the N.C. State Fair for free Thursday with five cans of Food Lion brand food


RALEIGH – Get free admission to the N.C. State Fair on Thursday October 22, 2015 by bringing five cans of Food Lion brand food to the fairgrounds during Food Lion Hunger Relief Day.

The collected food will benefit the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina. The event is one of the largest single-day canned-food drives in the state, and since 1993, fairgoers have donated more than 4.3 million pounds of food to the food bank.

“This is a great way for families to save money on fair admission, and it’s a great way to teach children about helping others,” said Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler.

Fairgoers will be able to exchange cans of food for admission from 8 a.m. to 9:45 p.m.

The Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina will distribute the food to people in need and hunger-relief agencies in a 34-county area surrounding Raleigh.

The record for collection at Food Lion Hunger Relief Day is 247,569 pounds, set in 2010. “I am challenging fairgoers to break that record and help us collect 250,000 pounds this year,” Troxler said.