Two Pallets of Milk Donated!

 
If you don't ask the question, you won't get the answer. That's my philosophy about wanting more information, and I'm sure glad I asked the question! My question was, "Tell me about The Giving Cow program."

Let me explain. Last month I was invited to speak at the corporate offices of Cub Foods at a meeting for their Dairy Department managers. Why me? Well, who better to talk about where dairy begins than a dairy farmer? I shared information about my family farm, what we do, and also our community involvement. The milk from our farm is sold to DFA (Dairy Farmers of America) who own Kemps so I ended with this quote from the Kemps website which perfectly sums up our goal here at Bremer Farms.

"... we've always been there for each other. It's in our DNA - work hard, love your family and take care of your neighbors. It's a commitment to do the right thing. It's a way of life we live by every day supporting local programs that nourish families, build communities, and work to leave our world in better shape than we found it."

So this led me to my question, "What can we do for the community and what is The Giving Cow program all about?" And here is Kemps answer- "Milk is one of the most requested items from food shelves, but unfortunately, it's rarely donated. So we've created Kemps Giving Cow Milk. Every time you buy Kemps milk, we donate Giving Cow milk to kids-in-need."

A week later I received a phone call from Christina of Kemps announcing that Kemps and Cub Foods would like to donate TWO PALLETS of milk to our local food shelf, Hastings Family Service. That's over 6,000 cartons of milk! I'll admit it, I was so excited that I cried while on the phone.

One of two pallets of Giving Cow milk!

So last week representatives from Kemps, Cub Foods, and myself, presented the milk to Hastings Family Service.

Amy (HFS), Christina (Kemps), Jayme (Kemps), Tara (Cub Foods), Janet (Bremer Farms), Amy and Deana (HFS)

As  a DFA/Kemps dairy farmer I am proud to say that our farm is a part of making this donation happen. Bremer Farms appreciates the support that Kemps and Cub Foods gives to communities like ours.

The Giving Cow milk is ultra pasteurized which means it is shelf stable and requires no refrigeration. This is important to food pantries which typically do not have adequate refrigeration space.

Batter Up For America

I don't claim to be the biggest sports fan in America, but I do enjoy following our Minnesota teams. I'm also one of those people who gets a bit "star-struck" when I get the opportunity to meet one of these athletes. 

 
When I recently got asked to represent dairy farmers at an autograph signing with Minnesota Twins own baseball rookie, Eddie Rosario, I thought wow! A Minnesota sports celebrity and promoting dairy? That's a win-win situation!

The focus of this event was to share the importance of the
 Great American Milk Drive
which, with your help, makes milk available to children and families in need,
 especially in the summer months. 

According to Feeding America, more than half a million people in Minnesota are food insecure. Nearly 1-in-6 children throughout Minnesota struggle with hunger and may be at risk of missing out on milk's nutrition during the summer months.

Bob Chatmas, of Second Harvest, shared that milk is the single most requested nutritious item by food bank clients, but it's rarely donated. On average, food banks are only able to provide one gallon of milk per person per year. This means food bank clients can't even come close to the recommended three servings of dairy each day!

Most of us don't have to think twice about picking up a gallon of milk when we run out, and yes, even though I'm a dairy farmer surrounded by milk, I buy my milk at the store, just like you. But some families in our communities are missing this nutrient rich beverage. It's a problem that impacts all sorts of families - in urban, suburban and rural communities. Hunger is everywhere.

The Great American Milk Drive is a Feeding America program that's made possible by the nation's milk companies and dairy farmers, like me. It is designed to make it easy for all of us to donate much-needed milk to local food banks. I've donated several times by clicking on the link above. 
Won't you?