In August, Minneapolis-based Cargill launched the #putyourherdfirst campaign to support The Great American Milk Drive. More than 65,000 people engaged with the campaign on Facebook, and Cargill said that all 200 food banks in the Feeding America network will receive 500 servings of milk.

“We received a tremendous amount of support for the HerdFirst campaign and are very thankful to everyone who helped us reach the goal of 100,000 servings of milk,” said Justin Howes, strategic marketing lead for Cargill’s U.S. dairy feed business. “Our dairy farmers work tirelessly to produce high-quality milk, and we are happy to help provide it to families and children in need.”

Each year, 46 million people, including 12 million children, rely on Feeding America food banks for regular access to milk, which is one of the most-requested but least-donated items, Cargill said. On average, these food banks are able to provide only the equivalent of less than 1 gallon of milk per person, per year.  The Great American Milk Drive was created to help address this specific need, and is the first-of-its-kind national program, Cargill said.

“As the largest hunger-relief organization serving the United States, Feeding America knows first-hand the critical importance of getting nutritious food to people in need. We are grateful to our partners at Cargill and the #putyourherdfirst campaign; this partnership puts milk on the tables of families in need,” said Kelli Walker, director of corporate partnerships, Feeding America.