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ASHLAND — Kale Durig said he wouldn’t give up the secret of what he fed his prize pig from the Ashland County Fair.
But the 13-year-old has some kind of secret sauce. His pig grew to 260 pounds. Durig, an eighth grader at St. Edward School, said it garnered a $6,500 price tag from Buckeye Express Car Wash at the fair in September.
The fair’s results list Durig with a fifth-place finish in the market hog category, and a sixth-place finish in Intermediate Age 12 market hog showmanship.
Natalie Wesner-Gochinski, the treasurer of the junior fair sale committee, said this year’s fair was a record year for sales. The average hog went for about $8 per pound, but Durig’s brought in $25 per pound. Wesner-Gochinski said that was an excellent price.
The fair takes an operating commission from the profits. At 3.5%, the cut left Durig with a little over $6,000. Wesner-Gochinski said students received their checks Nov. 1.
The St. Edward eighth grader and Wesner-Gochinski said most people who show at the fair donate part of the money they receive from their sales.
Durig decided to give back, too. He donated 10% of his profits — about $600 — to the St. Edward Hunger Center.
“I wanted to show service and help people in need,” Durig said.
He added that giving back is something he’s learned about in his time at St. Edward School.
Durig also plans to return and show a pig for a third year next fall.
Who will Durig’s donation help?
According to Father Rod Kreidler, the money Durig donated on Wednesday will go toward grocery purchases for the Hunger Center.
Every Wednesday, volunteers at the Hunger Center serve a meal between 5:30 and 6 p.m. Kreidler said around 45 people currently receive that service.
The Hunger Center also provides takeout meals for the Ashland Church Community Emergency Shelter Services (ACCESS).
Volunteers run it all. There are two teams, Kreidler said. One cooks the food, and another serves the meal. Kreidler said students from local high schools help serve to earn National Honor Society hours, too.
Jim Burson, a volunteer with the center, said the number of people who come for service on Wednesdays is going up. He said it’s been on an uptick since the end of the pandemic.
“It’s become social because people show up each week and they know each other,” Kreidler said.
Burson agreed.
“There’s a sense of community,” Burson said.
