Cass-Clay Creamery is Taking Action with Donation of More than 82,000 Shelf-Stable “Giving Cow” Milks through the Great Plains Food Bank
Fargo, N.D. — When Cass-Clay® Creamery of Fargo learned that one of the most requested items at food pantries was milk — but that milk was rarely donated, as food pantries struggle with the challenge of refrigerating such donations — the dairy company was determined to help contribute to a solution.
Today, Cass-Clay will deliver 24,500 specially designed, shelf-stable “Giving Cow™” chocolate milks to benefit the Great Plains Food Bank. The Giving Cow milks will help nourish the more than 121,000 individuals facing hunger in this area, with more than 40,000 of those being children. The packs will be distributed to food pantries, shelters, soup kitchens and other charitable feeding programs in Clay County, Minn., and across more than 100 communities in North Dakota, including Fargo.
Earlier this year, Cass Clay delivered 33,700 Giving Cow milks to the Great Plains Food Bank and an additional 24,500 Giving Cow milks will be delivered later this year.
“Giving Cow” Milk Offers a Shelf-Stable Solution for Food Pantries
Milk is one of the most requested yet least donated items at food pantries, as too often, these facilities lack sufficient cold storage. The single-serve, 8-ounce packs of ultra-high temperature (UHT) pasteurized milk have a shelf life of up to 12 months. Typically, fresh milk has a shelf life of approximately 20 days from processing. The Giving Cow milks are specifically designed for food shelves and kids backpack programs to fight hunger and will not be sold in stores.
“Giving back to our local communities is important to us at Cass Clay,” says Rachel Kyllo, spokesperson for Cass Clay. “Our Giving Cow milks not only provide valuable nutrition and are shelf-stable, so they don’t require refrigeration, but this year, we’re also doing some chocolate milk packs too, which we know that kids love.”
“Milk is one of the most needed items for our network of partner food pantries and our mobile food pantry and this shipment comes at a crucial time for so many,” says Great Plains Food Bank CEO Melissa Sobolik. “As we just completed the second-highest year in our 39-year history, the demand for our services remains extremely high. Cass Clay continues to be a great partner in our work, and we thank them for this shipment and for all they do to help our neighbors in need.”
For more information about the Giving Cow program and to keep up with how Cass-Clay Creamery is helping make a difference, go to givingcow.com and click on the Cass-Clay logo.
About Cass-Clay® Creamery
Since 1935, Cass-Clay Creamery has been providing fresh and delicious dairy products to families in North Dakota and surrounding areas. We start with the freshest milk from local farms and manufacture a full line of premium ice cream, sour cream, cottage cheese and white and flavored milk. Our manufacturing facility is located in Fargo, North Dakota. In 2012, Cass-Clay Creamery became a farmer-owned brand of Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), a national dairy cooperative owned by more than 12,500 family farmers. 100% of profits go to dairy farmers and their families. For more information, visit cassclay.com.