KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Starting this month, 17 regional dairy brands owned by Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) will help fill a real need at food pantries across the country with the donation of more than 2 million shelf-stable “Giving Cow™” milks.
Milk is one of the most requested yet least donated items at food banks. This is largely because the regional food pantries and shelters, which are served by food banks, often lack the necessary refrigeration to store fresh milk. In fact, according to Feeding America®, people who get assistance from food pantries typically receive the equivalent of less than one gallon of milk per person a year.
Giving Cow Milk Offers a Shelf-Stable Solution for Food Pantries
The single-serve, 8-ounce “Giving Cow” packs of ultra-high temperature (UHT) pasteurized milk have a shelf life of up to 12 months. Typically, fresh milk has a shelf life of approximately 20 days after processing. The Giving Cow milk packages are specifically designed for food pantries and kids backpack programs to fight hunger and will not be sold in stores.
“When we learned that millions of kids are missing out on nutrient-rich milk, which is a childhood essential, we knew that we had to try and be a part of the solution,” says Sharon Springborn, senior director of brand marketing at DFA Dairy Brands. “The Giving Cow packs provide valuable nutrition and are shelf-stable, so they don’t require cold storage, which we know can sometimes be limited at smaller food pantries and shelters.”
The DFA regional brands participating in The Giving Cow program include: Alta Dena® Dairy, Cass-Clay® Creamery, Country Fresh® Dairy, Garelick Farms®, Guida’s Dairy, Jilbert™ Dairy, Kemps®, Lehigh Valley Dairy Farms®, Mayfield Dairy Farms®, Meadow Gold® Dairy, Oak Farms® Dairy, PET® Dairy, Purity™ Dairy, Reiter™ Dairy, Swiss Premium™ Dairy, T.G. Lee® Dairy and Tuscan® Dairy Farms.
An Ongoing Commitment to Keep Pantries Stocked with Milk
Earlier this year, to help families struggling with hunger, DFA, along with its farm family-owners, donated 21 refrigerators to local food pantries across its seven regional Areas throughout the United States and the equivalent of more than 225,000 servings of milk.
To get more details about how The Giving Cow program is giving back in local communities, go to thegivingcow.com and click on one of the brand logos to go directly to the brand page, where you can sign up to receive updates on donations.
About Dairy Farmers of America
Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) is a national, farmer-owned dairy cooperative focusing on quality, innovation and the future of family dairies. While supporting and serving more than 12,500 family farm-owners, DFA manufactures a variety of dairy products, including fluid milk, cheese, butter, ice cream, dairy ingredients and more that connect our Cooperative’s family farms to family tables with regional brands such as Alta Dena® Dairy, Meadow Gold® Dairy, Friendly®’s, Borden® Cheese, Plugrá® Premium Butter and Kemps® to name a few. On a global scale, we work with some of the world’s largest food companies to develop ingredients their customers are craving, while staying committed to social responsibility and ethical farming. For more information, please visit dfamilk.com.
