The statistics are alarming—according to Feeding America, 1 in 7 Americans struggle with hunger. Food insecurity exists in every county in America and before COVID-19 more than 37 million people, including 11+ million children, lived in food insecure households. Those statistics have increased, and it is now estimated 42 million people, including 13 million children, face food insecurity.
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 capacity 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.
Starting this month, 17 regional dairy brands owned by Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) are working to help fill that real milk need at food pantries across the country with the donation of more than 2 million shelf-stable “Giving Cow” milks.
“Giving Cow”
“Giving Cow” milk offers a shelf-stable solution to food pantries that are faced with a shortage of refrigeration space. While typically fresh milk has a shelf life of approximately 20 days after processing, the single-serve, 8-ounce “Giving Cow” packs of ultra-high temperature (UHT), pasteurized milk have a shelf life of up to 12 months. They have been 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.”
To help families struggling with food insecurity, DFA has donated 30 refrigerators to local food pantries across the U.S. and donated the equivalent of more than 26.4 million servings of milk since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020.
Earlier this fall, Charles Krause who milks 300 cows near Buffalo Prairie, Minn., participated in a ribbon-cutting event with a new grocery store where DFA donated a pallet of milk. “I made sure that those in attendance knew that donation came straight from farmers like myself,” he notes.
Krause is proud of the commitment from the dairy industry and from his cooperative on tackling food insecurity. “Our calling from God is to be servants of the land and to the animals,” he says. “And really to help take care of our fellow neighbors.”
Commitment by the U.S. Dairy Industry
The cooperative spirit and the desire to serve others certainly run deep within the dairy community. Year-to-date, more than 2.2 billion servings of milk, cheese and yogurt have been distributed through the Feeding America network. That all translates to 664 million pounds of dairy distributed to families in need.
Dairy farms, cooperatives and processors, along with their employees and families, actively contribute to their local communities through volunteering, sponsorship of local events, charitable giving and product donations.
In 2020, the dairy community escalated efforts to support those most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Meeting the increased need for reliable, nutritious food was a top priority, along with providing local support to first responders, small local businesses and others in need. Dairy farmers and companies stepped up, taking on challenges ranging in scope from community to nationwide, doing what they could within their respective ranges of control.
The following are just a few examples:
- When COVID-19 struck, Chobani mobilized nearly 40 nationwide yogurt deliveries, donating 6.5 million cups to Feeding America food banks.
- Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) created the Farmers Feeding Families Fund to meet the increased need of getting nutritious dairy to food banks, especially in rural areas. Several DFA partners contributed to this fund, which, when added to donated products from DFA plants, provided the equivalent of over 16 million servings of dairy to food banks around the country in 2020.
- Michigan Milk Producers Association joined forces with Kroger’s Michigan Dairy plant to donate approximately 900 pounds of milk per day to the Food Bank Council of Michigan throughout 2020.
- United Dairymen of Arizona donated nearly $6,000 to help a local food bank secure a new walk-in cooler to provide more storage for perishable items like milk and dairy foods.
In the 2020 U.S. Dairy Sustainability Annual Report, Jackie Klippenstein, senior vice president of government, industry and community relations for DFA and also the co-chair of the Food Security Task Force for the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy stated, “In partnership with the nation’s food banks, the dairy community tackled sourcing/ distribution challenges and developed innovative solutions to meet the unprecedented demand for dairy during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
As a direct result of the spike in food insecurity due to the pandemic, the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy formed the Food Security Task Force to reaffirm dairy’s commitment to addressing hunger. Bringing together representatives from leading dairy companies, retailers and nonprofits, the task force will pursue multiple pathways to enable increased and reliable access to nutritious dairy products for Americans facing food insecurity. Key strategies include:
• Optimizing the charitable food system to better process and distribute perishable dairy products
• Developing solutions that empower those facing food insecurity
• Leveraging the power of partnerships to address infrastructure and transportation challenges
How to Get Started to Help out?
One case study that identified the need for milk was with the Northern Illinois Food Bank (NIFB), which serves more than 71,000 people a week in 13 counties in northern Illinois. A processor was asked to provide a consistent supply of fresh milk to food bank agencies, and this resulted in a negotiated and mutually agreeable price for weekly deliveries of milk to food bank agencies. The processor kept control of milk to protect cold chain and stored milk in agency refrigerators and the food bank paid the invoices and provided milk to their clients. This all resulted in the food bank purchasing an average of 300,000 gallons of milk per year from the processor.
The dairy checkoff identified additional examples of business models to increase access to dairy in food banks. These examples can be found through at Dairy Nourishes America.
For more information on how you can get started, contact DairyNourishesAmerica@dairy.org. They will connect you with Feeding America and the food banks in your area to find solutions that work for you and the food banks.
They will connect you with Feeding America and the food banks in your area to find the solutions that work for you and the food banks.
Hunger in America
The statistics share that there is no cookie-cutter formula illustrating those who are at a greater risk of facing hunger in America.
- 20% of Feeding America households include someone who has served or is currently serving in the U.S. military.
- 5.5 million (7.7%) seniors in the U.S. are food insecure.
- One-third of households with an adult unable to work due to disability are food insecure.
- Adults with mental health conditions are almost 5 times more likely to live in a food-insecure household as compared to adults without mental health conditions.
While America’s dairy farmers are dedicated to taking good care of their cattle and land and providing a wholesome product for consumers, they are equally committed to being part of the solution to help fight food insecurity issues that are facing millions of Americans.
