PHOENIX — The IDFA Foundation along with several leading dairy companies and food retailers donated more than 33,000 pounds of nutritious milk and dairy foods as well as $15,000 in financial contributions to St. Mary’s Food Bank in recent weeks to address hunger in Arizona. The donations were announced in Phoenix at the Dairy Forum 2024 conference hosted by the International Dairy Foods Association. Donations of nutritious milk, cheese, and yogurt were made by The Kroger Company, Diversified Foods, Inc., and Lactalis USA. In addition, Albertsons Companies Foundation and Schreiber Foods Inc. joined the IDFA Foundation in making a combined financial contribution of $15,000 to St. Mary’s. The donations will provide more than 72,000 meals to food insecure families throughout Phoenix and nine Arizona counties.
The IDFA Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit that seeks to make an important contribution to people and communities on behalf of the U.S. dairy industry by providing grants that reduce hunger, improve environmental sustainability, and enhance the welfare of people working in food manufacturing. The Foundation, supported in large part by contributions from U.S. dairy companies, has partnered with several non-profit hunger relief organizations to provide more than 422,000 meals to food insecure people in the U.S. and around the world in the past 16 months.
“Working to make a difference for people and communities on behalf of U.S. dairy, the IDFA Foundation is committed to reducing hunger in Arizona and wherever it exists,” said Matt Herrick, executive director of the IDFA Foundation. “We are proud to partner with St. Mary’s Food Bank—the nation’s first food bank and a leader in hunger relief—to support the greater Phoenix community, and I am grateful to our partners, donors and foundation board members for making today’s donation possible.”
According to St. Mary’s, approximately two million Arizonans face food insecurity every year, including one in four children. In 2022, St. Mary’s Food Bank distributed 102,227,360 pounds of food throughout most of Arizona.
“Dairy items are high on the list of need for our neighbors and often difficult for food banks to obtain through donations,” said Milton Liu, President and CEO of St. Mary’s Food Bank. “In addition to the monetary gift from the IDFA Foundation and its partners, which will allow us to distribute enough food for 45,000 meals around Arizona, the shelf-stable milk, yogurt, cheese and other high-nutritional dairy items will be well received by those we serve. Huge thanks to IDFA Foundation for reaching out to help struggling Arizonans.”
“At Albertsons Companies, we have a long-standing commitment of investing in our local communities, and we are pleased to join forces with IDFA and Schreiber Foods in the fight to end the cycle of hunger in Arizona,” said Christy Duncan Anderson, President and Executive Director of Albertsons Companies Foundation. “As the world’s first food bank, St. Mary’s Food Bank provides nourishment to families facing food insecurity while also encouraging self-sufficiency, collaboration, advocacy and education. These actions align with our mission at Albertsons Companies Foundation, and we are proud to support St. Mary’s and give our Arizona neighbors access to the nutrition and resources they need to thrive.”
“IDFA Foundation’s support of the St Mary’s Food Bank aligns perfectly with Schreiber Foods’ mission of doing Good Through Food,” said Dave Coble, senior vice president of human resources with Schreiber Foods and a director on the board of the IDFA Foundation. “We are pleased to contribute to this worthy cause.”
“Fry’s Food Stores is proud to partner with the IDFA Foundation and other leading dairy companies and food retailers committed to fighting food insecurity, right here in Arizona,” said Doug Jacobs, manufacturing plant site leader for Kroger’s Tolleson Dairy. “We’re both thrilled and humbled that our efforts to support our communities will help provide nutritious food to the local families who need it most.”
“Diversified Foods is proud to take part in donating this Shelf Stable Pantry Fresh Dairy Milk knowing the impact it will have to help reduce hunger in the greater Phoenix community,” said Sean Steichen, senior director of strategic initiatives for Diversified Foods, Inc. “We value any opportunity to work with our food bank partners to help families in need knowing the many struggles that people go through to secure their important nutritious milk consumption needs. Our Shelf Stable Pantry Fresh Milk products play an important role in allowing consumers to have access to milk in a sustainable and innovative way. Thank you to the IDFA Foundation and St. Mary’s Food Bank for working together to organize this important effort.”
“Lactalis is proud to support the IDFA Foundation mission and fight hunger in the Phoenix area through this initiative,” said Bill Cassidy, CEO of Lactalis U.S. Yogurt, which operates a facility in Casa Grande, Ariz. “Our Casa Grande plant is very important to our company, and we are committed to the community surrounding it. We are proud to work with the IDFA Foundation and advancing their mission of reducing hunger, improving environmental sustainability, and enhancing the welfare of people who work in food manufacturing.”
The IDFA Foundation is also coordinating additional donations of milk, yogurt, cheese and other nutritious dairy foods to St. Mary’s Food Bank following the conclusion of the IDFA Dairy Forum event in Phoenix. “Thanks to the generosity of IDFA members, this additional effort will prevent food waste while continuing to address the nutritional needs of Arizonans,” said Herrick. “Thank you to Chobani, Cabot Creamery, General Mills, Sargento, and Great Lakes Cheese for making these additional donations possible.”
To learn more about the work of the IDFA Foundation, visit www.idfafoundation.org.
The IDFA Foundation seeks to make an important contribution to people and communities on behalf of the U.S. dairy industry by providing grants to support individuals and organizations working to advance human health and nutrition, improve environmental stewardship and sustainability, and enhance the welfare of people working in food manufacturing. Established in 1958 as the Dairy Recognition and Education Foundation, today the IDFA Foundation promotes the health and well-being of people, communities, and our planet on behalf of U.S. dairy.
