A sculpture made from nearly 1,000 pounds of butter to call attention to a fundraising campaign for a food bank milk program was featured at the Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg in January. The sculpture depicts a food bank worker pouring milk into a glass held by a little boy standing next to his mother. A dairy farmer and his cow watch, standing next to a refrigerated case filled with gallons of milk. The words “Fill a Glass with Hope” are carved above.   

The Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association and the Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program sponsored the exhibit.  Through a public-private partnership, Pennsylvania dairy farmers ship milk to Harrisburg Dairies to be processed for the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank. The department facilitated the process of discounting milk for purchase by the food bank for its clients.

In New England, a regional effort by processors encouraged milk donations to food banks. HP Hood, Guida’s Dairy, Cabot Creamery Cooperative, Booth Brothers and Monument Farms Dairy supported The Great American Milk Drive, a national initiative to provide gallons of milk to Feeding America food banks. Several local campaigns were organized by the New England Dairy Promotion Board and its retail partners, including Hannaford Supermarkets and Adams Hometown Markets.

 “Our efforts have raised thousands of dollars and resulted in the direct donation of hundreds of gallons of milk for food banks in New Hampshire, Connecticut and Vermont,” said Jill Monti, regional marketing manager for the New England Dairy Promotion Board.