California Dairy Students Partner With California Dairy Families to Raise Milk Donations for Families in Need

2nd  Real California Milk Intercollegiate Give-A-Gallon Challenge focuses on increasing access to fresh dairy in local communities

TRACY, Calif. – One in eight Californians currently struggle with food insecurity, with milk being one of the most requested but least donated items at food banks. This fall, the California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) worked with student dairy advocates from California State University, Chico (Chico State), California State University, Fresno (Fresno State), California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly), and Modesto Junior College (MJC) to address this deficit by hosting the second annual Real California Milk Intercollegiate Give-A-Gallon Challenge. 

Using 100-gallon donation commitments from the CMAB as an incentive, students in each area shared information about the need for milk and options for donating through their social media channels. Each team coordinated donations through local and campus milk drives, in person and virtually. As a part of the Real California Milk CADAIRY4GOOD program, this initiative spotlights ongoing commitment by California dairy families to increasing access to nutritious foods. 

“My passion has always been rooted in the dairy industry, which is why I am so motivated to get milk off of the shelves and into our communities. I’m so thankful for all of the supporters of our milk drive year after year. My favorite part is arriving to a food bank with all of our milk to drop off and seeing everyone’s faces light up,” said Anthony Agueda, California dairy farmer and Fresno State Ag Business student. 

Megan Donaldson, Chico State student and Dairy Science Club president, noted, “Everyone deserves to have quality milk products to enjoy in their home, and this initiative is a wonderful way to provide that. Chico State Dairy Science Club and Chico State Organic Dairy Unit members are proud to represent this amazing industry by donating gallons of Real California Milk to those in need.”

“Participating in this competition truly showed a new perspective on what food accessibility looks like in our community. We’re extremely grateful to have participated in this challenge and are excited to bring forth new ideas to next year’s competition,” said Morgan Oliveira, Cal Poly student and Dairy Club secretary.

“Over the last 4 years MJC has donated almost 3,000 gallons of milk to Stanislaus County with this project. It is heartwarming to know that we have donated 48,000 servings of fresh, California milk to those less fortunate in the Central Valley through our efforts to promote Hunger Awareness in our community,” said Nicole Morris, California dairy farmer and MJC dairy science instructor.

The initiative raised more than 6,000 gallons of milk with donations distributed to 17 local food banks, including student pantries at Cal Poly, Chico State and Fresno State.

California is the nation’s leading milk producer, and makes more butter, ice cream and nonfat dry milk than any other state. California is the second-largest producer of cheese and yogurt. California milk and dairy foods can be identified by the Real California Milk seal, which means they are made with milk from the state’s dairy families using some of the most sustainable farming practices in the world.

About Real California Milk/California Milk Advisory Board

The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB), an instrumentality of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, is funded by the state’s dairy farm families who lead the nation in sustainable dairy farming practices. With a vision to nourish the world with the wholesome goodness of Real California Milk, the CMAB’s programs focus on increasing demand for California’s sustainable dairy products in the state, across the U.S. and around the world. Connect with the CMAB at RealCaliforniaMilk.com, Facebook, YouTube, Tik Tok, Instagram, X and Pinterest.