Burnett Dairy Cooperative, a dairy cooperative that produces cheese, said it is stepping up to support its community in its greatest moment of need.

Burnett Dairy Cooperative and its member farmers are keeping to business as usual and donating cheese to food pantries, schools and nonprofit organizations supplying free meals. The cheese is being given to organizations based nearby the cooperative’s Grantsburg, Wis., headquarters, including in the greater Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area, the cooperative said.

“The Burnett Dairy Cooperative and our member farmers recognized an opportunity to make a difference during an extremely challenging time for our country and the dairy industry,” said Dan Dowling, CEO and president of the Burnett Dairy Cooperative. “Farmers have always been the backbone of the national food supply, so we felt a responsibility to marshal our resources — and a little ingenuity — to fight hunger in our communities by donating as much cheese as we can.”

As part of the effort, Chell Trucking of Siren, Wis. is donating time and refrigerated truck space to help safely distribute the cheese to partners, the cooperative said.