This post brought to you by Milk Life. All opinions are 100% mine.
I have always been a big supporter of local food banks. After volunteering at the North Texas Food Bank, I learned about how important it is to not only volunteer your time with them but to also donate whatever you can. If there are no donations, there are no children and adults being fed.
Volunteering at the North Texas Food Bank.
I heard stories about children who would receive meals at school and would hoard them throughout the week so they could eat at home during the weekend when food wasn’t readily available and how the average household with very low food security experiences the condition during seven months of the year. These facts were baffling and I made a conscious decision to do what I can to help those in need.
We need to realize and bring awareness that there are many people who are starving and hungry in our own backyard even though you might not realize it. Many people (that you know) are turning to their local food bank for help because they can’t provide for themselves or their family. Compared to four years ago, one million more people are seeking emergency food assistance from the Feeding America network each week. Instead of just providing food, many food banks have introduced a nutrition criteria to the meals that they serve their client. For Feeding America, two-thirds of the food banks in the network follow the USDA’s MyPlate guidelines for a balanced meal –which includes a serving of milk. Milk tops the list of the food items most requested by food bank participants (85 percent), followed by fresh fruits (77 percent) and fresh vegetables (74 percent). While several recent initiatives have focused on getting more produce into feeding programs, The Great American Milk Drive is the first program to help resolve the milk shortage. Milk is the #1 nutritious product requested by food banks, but is rarely donated.
The Great American Milk Drive, being launched by Feeding America, is the first nationwide program designed to encourage consumers to donate nutrient-rich milk to hungry families. The Great American Milk Drive is made possible by the nation’s dairy farmers and milk companies, and dairy farmers, will make it easy for people to buy milk online at www.milklife.com/give (or text MILK to 27722) and donate it to a food pantry in their zip code for as little as $5 at a time. The great part about it is that Every dollar collected will go to purchasing and delivering milk to hungry families through the Feeding America network. You don’t have to worry about where your money is going. The goal of the campaign is to deliver two million gallons of milk to food banks across the country.
The official party is taking place in New York on April 2nd at 10:45am and you can watch it below:
Still not convinced on why we need more milk donations? I’ve found 5 fascinating facts about milk that will help you understand the importance of milk and why we all need it in our daily diet.
- 8 grams of high-quality protein in each 8 oz. glass (that’s more protein that’s in an egg).
- If you’re lactose intolerant , research shows you can still reap milk’s benefits. (Source)
- Milk has 9 essential nutrients: Niacin, Protein, Vitamin A, Riboflavin, Vitamin B 12, Phosphorus, Calcium, Potassium, & Vitamin D. (The last three are the most likely to be missing in the US diet.)
- Milk boosts key nutrients for healthy hair, teeth and nails.
- Watching calories? Did you know fat free milk has the same nutrients as all milk – 9 essential nutrients for just 80 calories per serving!
Visit milklife.com/give or www.facebook.com/Milk and follow @MilkMustache on Twitter to join the Milk Mustache community and stay up-to-date on the latest news on The Great American Milk Drive.
i wonder if we could do something here in Dallas?
Absolutely! When you donate at milklife.com you type in your zip code and it will food banks in the area to donate to. It’s awesome!
Well, my food bank only takes non-perishable food items, so I am not sure how that would work. It makes sense because ours is only open one day a week.
There may be other food banks in your area that you can help. Check it out at milklife.com
I always wanted to volunteer my time at a food bank, thanks for reminding me! I never knew that there is a shortage of milk at food banks.
I highly recommend volunteering! Not only are you helping others out, but I learned a lot about my community and their needs when I did.
thank you for bringing awareness to this! i know how my kids love milk and its sad to think other kids can’t have it when they want
No problem. Thanks for stopping by, Brett!
I really love that you can donate within your own zip code. That means a lot to me!
Isn’t that awesome? I think more people will donate because they know they are helping people in their own backyard.
Thanks for sharing. It makes sense that milk is one of the most requested items. I wonder if our local food bank will accept milk donations, since they’re only open two days a week. It would be great if they did!
You never know! If you go to milklife.com and type in your zipcode you can find out which food bank near you will accept milk donations.
What a great awareness raiser, it’s awesome to see companies and people doing something to help others. I set a goal to donate and volunteer more this year, but I am off to a slow start. Thanks so much for sharing this, I feel re-motivated!
We’re here to motivate each other. Love your goal for the year!
It is good to know that all of them have the same nutrients. We drink 1% and I always wondered if we were getting the same benefit.
I only drink low fat milk too so it was definitely good to see that we are receiving the same benefit!
Thanks for posting this. I never heard of the milk drive before and it seems like a great cause. Milk is so important and it’s sad that some kids can’t get it. Will check this out!
This is the first year for the milk drive. I know it will be a great success.
I have never thought of donating milk, I wasn’t sure it was possible! I’d love to see if they are doing this in St. Louis.
How awesome that you are helping! Bringing awareness is also important. Thank you. A friend of mine runs a food pantry for her church. It’s a lot of work, but it helps so many.
Thanks so much! Awareness is key and I’m more than happy to spread the word. I can only imagine how much work your friend puts in!
What a great campaign. I truly can’t imagine not having milk, it’s something I guess I have taken for granted.
I can’t imagine not having milk either. It’s amazing the things we take for granted, without even knowing!
I did not know that the lactose intolerant still benefitted from drinking milk. I’m surprised! – Jenn @ The Rebel Chick
My son loves milk, so this is a great article. Thanks for sharing this information.
Thanks for stopping by!
This is an awesome initiative. I think around here they only take non-perishables.
I love your goal for this year! We are here to motivate each other!
You can type in your zip code at milklife.com and they will tell you which food bank it will help in your area! Thanks for stopping by.
I’ve never considered donating milk because I thought it always needed to be non-perishable… Thanks for making me aware! I’ll be sure to check out the milklife website for where I can help!
Purchasing online. A must when you are having a drive with a perishable like that.
So much protein in milk. It’s a great way to start the day!
I did not know those facts about Milk. I drink it because it’s healthy but now know a little more. Thanks!!!
I’ve never donated milk, probably because I just figured it wouldn’t stay cold. I’ve always just donated canned foods and boxed food. I will have to remember this next time.
We always try to include some tetra packs of milk whenever we donate to our local food pantry or when our church has food drives. I think people forget about that – but milk is essential to a healthy diet.
What a great idea, I like that they help you figure out which food banks in your area accept the donations.
What an awesome idea! I’m off to check out milklife.com.
Thanks for sharing! Now I wonder if our local food bank accepts milk donations.
I became lactose intolerant after giving birth to my daughter. I have to limit my milk intake or I have unpleasant symptoms. But – I got my entire family to switch to skim milk which is a HUGE win.
It breaks my heart to think about little kids who can’t help it hoarding food so they will have it on the weekends. Great opportunity to donate.
The thought of ANY person being hungry makes me cringe. Thank you for sharing and for being so generous with your time to spread the word and help others.
This is wonderful! Thanks for sharing!
This so amazing. It’s nice that they’re doing so much to help child and families be feed.
working the food bank is such an eye opener. love how Milk is working to get more help into the food banks
Wow, this is such a great idea. I like regular people being able to help other people while doing things they do on a regular basis. It is nice to make being giving a regular part of life.
I used to volunteer at a food bank and it is so humbling. I love that you shared this and I’ll definitely be donating.
I love it! The goodness of milk combined with helping others? That’s a win in my book any day.
Milk is such a staple. I can’t imagine a family going without!!!
I love milk but I had no idea it had so much protein. That’s great!