Salvation Army gets early taste of the Fair

With the Eastern Idaho State Fair only four days away, one local charity group received an early taste of that notorious fair food that only rolls-around once every year.

The Eastern Idaho State Fair and the Mexican Crazy Corn booth popped into the Salvation Army in Pocatello on Monday afternoon to give the hungry community a taste of the winning fair favorite food before anyone else.

But fair organizers soon discovered a deeper need, and that’s when something amazing happened, and Bingham Memorial Hospital stepped in to help.

This all started when EISF organizers asked community members to vote on Facebook for the person or organization who should get an early taste of the fair in its Pop-Up Party contest.

“The initial plan was for people to nominate their families, neighborhoods or places of business for a special pre-fair block party,” Bingham Memorial spokesperson Mark Baker said. “One specific organization was nominated over and over again; the Salvation Army in Pocatello.”

That’s when Baker learned the Salvation Army was in dire need of food to help serve the hundreds each week who rely on its services.

The Salvation Army’s Lt. Tami Moore said they are completely out of canned vegetables, and the need is endless.

“We go out and purchase the food ourselves, we stock-up, but then it just goes,” Moore said. “So, we’re really counting on the community and hoping the community could come together and help us out here so that way we could continue to do what it is we do.”

In addition to the Pop-Up Party, Baker decided to bring a trailer full of donated food to the organization to help fill the rows of empty pantry shelves.

“Hearing their struggle was enough for the EISF and El Elote Loco to jump in and also award this wonderful organization a special fair treat,” Baker added.

Richard Johnson, owner of El Elote Loco rolled in to donated roughly $800 of his specialty corn to feed the masses, all of which he grows himself on his farm in Blackfoot. Johnson and his family run Grove City Gardens, which is also known for its annual corn maze during the fall.

The EISF officially opens its doors on Friday, September 1 but the opening day parade will be the next day on Saturday.