Local dairy brand today delivers 24,576 shelf-stable “Giving Cow” milks to Great Plains Food Bank
Fargo, N.D. — Earlier this year, Cass-Clay Creamery of Fargo announced it would donate 82,000 specially designed, shelf-stable “Giving Cow™” milk packs to the Great Plains Food Bank. Today, in partnership with the North Dakota Grocers Association (NDGA), Cass Clay delivered 24,576 Giving Cow packs to Great Plains Food Bank, which will be distributed through its network of 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.
Millions of children and families living in America face hunger every day, and there is no community in the United States where hunger doesn’t exist. Locally in this region, more than 121,000 individuals are facing hunger, with more than 40,000 of those being children.
“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 the dairy brand. “Our Giving Cow milk packs provide valuable nutrition and are shelf-stable, so they don’t require refrigeration.”
“Milk is still one of the most requested items by those we serve and our network of partner food pantries,” Great Plains Food Bank CEO Melissa Sobolik said. “These Giving Cow milks help us put milk on the tables for families and because they have a long shelf-life are a staple in our BackPack Program. We cannot thank Cass-Clay Creamery enough for their continued innovation and support.”
“The North Dakota Grocers Association is excited about Cass Clay Creamery and its donation of ‘Giving Cow’ milk packs to area food banks,” says John Dyste, President of the North Dakota Grocers Association. “Cass-Clay is an important member of our organization and exemplifies the values of giving back to their community.”
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.
About the Great Plains Food Bank
Now in its 39th year, the Great Plains Food Bank serves as North Dakota’s only food bank. Its partner network includes nearly 200 food pantries, shelters, soup kitchens, and other charitable feeding programs operating more than 100 communities across N.D. and Clay County, Minn. Since 1983, the Great Plains Food Bank, through its array of innovative direct service programs and partner network, have distributed more than 200 million meals to children, seniors, and families in need. The Great Plains Food Bank is a member of Feeding America, the nation’s food bank network, and was named the Not-for-Profit of the Year in 2018 by the Fargo-Moorhead-West Fargo Chamber of Commerce.
About the North Dakota Grocers Association
Established in 1960 the North Dakota Grocers Association (NDGA) currently represents nearly 150 Independent Retail Grocery stores in North Dakota and western Minnesota. NDGA has partnered with over sixty Associate Vendor members to promote the independent grocers importance to our communities and state and local governments. NDGA is a member of the National Grocers Association (NGA) which represents NDGA at the national level.