Fresh produce, lean protein and dairy products are in high demand at food shelves. This donation makes it easier to store and provide what food shelf clients need most: nutritious foods.

Midwest Dairy has provided an additional $15,000 in grant funding, for a grand total of $95,000 in 2019, that has enabled Second Harvest Heartland to purchase 8 more dairy coolers for food shelves and shelters throughout Minnesota. Back in January when the request for grant applications was initially sent out, the response was overwhelming, and 8 applicants had to be wait listed. Now a total of 45 food shelves and shelters and their communities have benefited from this grant. The grant was intended to support the increased distribution of cow’s milk and other nutritious dairy products that are in high demand at food shelves and shelters.

“This project has been very exciting, and I am so grateful that we were able to provide more coolers through this grant to additional agencies. We are deeply appreciative for this partnership with Midwest Dairy,” said Pat Pearson, director of agency relations, Second Harvest Heartland.

As with the first round, the additional grant covered both the cost of the refrigerator and delivery. The grantee organizations were able to choose from a selection of four different types of coolers to best meet the needs of their individual programs. “Wow, what great news! We are currently drawing up plans to expand client shopping and will include this in our plans,” said Brad Kirk, the executive director at New Ulm Area Emergency Food Shelf. “This is a wonderful surprise,” said Nicole Bathgate at Dakota Woodlands Shelter in Eagan.

On any given day, one in 11 Minnesotans does not know where their next meal is coming from: kids come home to an empty fridge and seniors skip meals to pay for their medications. Second Harvest Heartland – together with more than 1,000 organizational partners and 1,000 food shelf, food pantry and meal program partners – believes no one should go hungry. In so many ways, partners like Midwest Dairy make a transformational impact on our mission to end hunger.

Second Harvest Heartland is one of the largest, most efficient and most innovative hunger relief organizations in the nation. In close partnership with nearly 1,000 food shelves, food pantries and other meal programs, Second Harvest Heartland helps the one in 11 people in Minnesota and western Wisconsin who face hunger every day. On average, 74 percent of food our partner agencies distribute comes from Second Harvest Heartland. In 2018, Second Harvest Heartland helped provide a record 89 million meals to more than a half million people. We will continue to leverage our unique position in the emergency food chain to advocate, educate and provide food until everyone in our service area has what they need to thrive. For more information, visit 2harvest.org or call 651.484.5117.

 

 

Midwest Dairy™ represents 7,000 dairy farm families and works on their behalf to build dairy demand by inspiring consumer confidence in our products and production practices. We are committed to Bringing Dairy to Life! by Giving Consumers an Excellent Dairy Experience and are funded by farmers across a 10-state region, including Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas and eastern Oklahoma. For more information, visit MidwestDairy.com. Follow us on Twitter and find us on Facebook at Midwest Dairy. For relevant conversations about issues and trends in the dairy community, listen to Dairy on the Air.