Cargill and ‘New Mexico Milkmaid’ and team up for Hunger Action Month
Cargill and dairy farmer Tara Vander Dussen are donating to GiveAGallon.com for every participant in the #MilkChugChallenge on Instagram.
Cargill, Wayzata, Minn., said it is joining forces with dairy farmer Tara Vander Dussen, also known as “New Mexico Milkmaid,” to get more milk to families in need. Inspired by September’s being Hunger Action Month, Vander Dussen is using her social media following to encourage participation in a milk chugging challenge. For every person who posts a video or picture of themselves chugging milk on Instagram with the hashtag #MilkChugChallenge and tags @NewMexicoMilkmaid, Vander Dussen will donate $1 (up to $500) to www.GiveAGallon.com throughout the month of September, and Cargill with match her donation dollar-for-dollar.
“We love the creativity of the dairy farmers we work with every day, and it’s even better when they combine promotion of the dairy products we love with a donation to The Great American Milk Drive,” said Josh Hushon, marketing communications lead for Cargill’s U.S. dairy feed business. “This partnership will raise awareness of hunger and the big needs in our local communities and is one more way we’ll be supporting the industry we serve while living our mission of nourishing the world.”
Donations to www.GiveAGallon.com are given to local food banks for the sole purpose of purchasing milk — one of the most requested items, Cargill said. Milk is the top food source for three of the nutrients most likely to be missing in kids’ diets — calcium, vitamin D and potassium. But despite the demand, it’s one of the least donated items at food banks. On average, food banks are able to provide only the equivalent of less than 1 gallon per person per year.
“For the month of September, my dream was to bring awareness to Hunger Action Month while encouraging people to have some fun drinking milk on social media with the #MilkChugChallenge. By doing something as simple as drinking a glass of milk, you can help give milk to families in need in our communities,” said Vander Dussen. “Thanks to the support of Cargill, we are hoping to bring that dream to life and raise $1,000 total for giveagallon.com!”
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