Milk on a Mission
/Meet the Kemps giving cow. This happy bovine is more than a smiling face on a carton. She represents kids in need getting a nutritious snack they might not otherwise have.
Since June, The Giving Cow Project, a hunger awareness campaign launched by Kemps, has committed to provide a carton of shelf-stable milk to kids in need for every gallon of Kemps Select and Kemps Milk purchased, up to 500,000 cartons. Partnering with Feeding America® Eastern Wisconsin, Second Harvest Heartland, Food Bank of Iowa and Greater Chicago Food Depository, the donations will go to food shelves and backpack programs in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois.
Kemps is a household name in the Midwest, providing wholesome dairy products like milk, ice cream and cultured products to communities since 1914, and actively works to give back to the local community.
“Families served by food shelves often receive less than one gallon of milk per person per year,” says Rebecca Heagney, director of marketing for Kemps. “For that to happen right where we are — in the heart of America’s dairy country — we wanted to fix that. We wanted to do something about getting nutritious milk to those families and kids who don’t have access to it.”
“Families served by food shelves often receive less than one gallon of milk per person per year.”
Food banks list milk as one of their most requested but least donated items. Because milk requires refrigeration, food banks struggle to store and distribute this grocery staple. Access to nutritious milk is vital for families in need because they often turn to less healthy foods that cost less, have a longer shelf life and can stretch over multiple meals.
Enter the Giving Cow carton. These eight-ounce airtight cartons of 2 percent milk don’t require refrigeration and will stay fresh for up to a year — much longer than the typical shelf life of milk, which is 14 days after processing. Made by pasteurizing milk at a higher temperature and packaging it in an airtight container to prevent bacteria from growing, shelf-stable milk still offers the same nutrients, vitamins and goodness of regular milk.
Giving Cow cartons help bridge the nutrition gap for kids who depend on reduced breakfast and lunch programs at school. Besides stocking food bank shelves, the Giving Cow cartons will also get stuffed into kids’ backpacks through local backpack programs. Backpack programs fill kids’ bags with nutritious meals and snacks to help them get enough to eat over the weekend.
“We are so grateful for this generous donation,” says Julie Vanhove, Feeding Minnesota sourcing manager with Second Harvest Heartland. “Kemps is a valuable partner in our fight to feed the one in eight children in our service area and Minnesota who experience hunger.”
The cute carton was designed with kids in mind. “Often, food banks will receive food or donations in blank packaging,” Heagney says. “Our Giving Cow adds a little more fun and personality to delight the little ones.” But you won’t find these cartons on store shelves, they’re only available for local kids in need.
Want to help? If your grocery store stocks Kemps, grab a gallon of milk or pick out a Kemps Simply Crafted ice cream. Unlike other give back programs, The Giving Cow Project doesn’t require any extra work, like sending in UPC codes or receipts. Simply buy a gallon and Kemps will donate the giving cow cartons to the kids who need them most.
When thinking about how to give back to its community, Kemps considered a monetary donation. “We liked the giving cow cartons because we’re giving back something that there’s a need for, we’re filling a gap for kids in need and it’s something we believe in,” Heagney says. “We believe this is a nutritious product that offers all the vitamins and nutrition of regular milk, and we liked the idea of connecting this to our purpose of nourishing families.”