Cooperative Living June 2021 - 37

FarmLife | by Alice Kemp, Virginia Farm Bureau Federation
National Dairy Month
Farmers, food banks work together
on 'Milk for Good' to quench a need
F
rom canned goods to fresh
produce, food banks rely on
donations to serve those in need.
But there's one sought-after item they
don't often receive.
" Fluid milk, in particular, is one
of the most requested items by the
people we serve, but it's simultaneously
one of the least donated, " explains
Eddie Oliver, executive director of
the Federation of Virginia Food
Banks. " The logistics of milk are just
challenging because of shelf life.
It has to move quickly. "
Enter the " Milk for Good "
campaign.
Launched in 2019 with a $50,000
grant from Virginia's Farm Credit
organizations, the campaign helps the
federation purchase milk and distribute
it to those who need it most. It is a
collaboration of food banks, milk
processors and dairy farmers. Milk
for Good also received $50,000 from
the Dairy Alliance for refrigeration
equipment to improve the capacity
of 21 partner agencies to store and
distribute the milk. It recently crossed
the 200,000 half-gallon threshold.
COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS
In Franklin County's Boones Mill,
seventh-generation farmer Joanna
Shipp and her father, Laird Bowman,
have a herd of about 200 dairy cows
at Bowmont Dairy
Farm. When the
pandemic started last
spring, they sprang
into action to help
their local food bank,
Heavenly Manna.
" There's a statistic
that says most food
pantries give out
Joanna Shipp and her family in Boones Mill, Va.
one gallon of milk per person per year,
which isn't very much, " Shipp says.
Organizing through their church, Shipp
and her father helped raise money for
Heavenly Manna to provide half-gallons
of milk for the 500 families it serves.
So far, they've raised around
$10,000 for the program.
" That's one thing we felt was
important - helping people get a
nutritious, versatile item that's going
to work in multiple ways for them, "
Shipp says. " Milk is one of those
things that will help sustain you. "
Using her connections as a member
of the Maryland & Virginia Dairy
Producers Cooperative Association,
Shipp facilitated a milk truck to make
weekly deliveries of Maola milk, the
cooperative's brand, to the food bank.
When Shipp's daughter and mother
began volunteering at Heavenly Manna,
they noticed a lack of refrigeration
space. Using her connections at the
Virginia chapter of the Dairy Alliance,
Shipp applied for and received a
donated cooler for the food bank.
CREAMERY GIVEBACK
When Richlands Dairy and
Creamery first expanded into
making ice cream to save its dairy
operation, brother and sister duo
Brother and sister duo Coley Jones
Drinkwater and TR Jones built their
" One for 10 Gallon Give Back "
promise into their business model.
co-opliving.com
TR Jones and Coley Jones Drinkwater
ensured giving back to their
community was included in the
new business model.
The Joneses have farmed in
Nottoway County since the 1700s
and operated the family dairy since
the 1950s. While investing heavily
in the creamery stretched them thin,
they still wanted to be good stewards
to those less fortunate.
" We certainly don't have extra
money, but we have milk, " says
Drinkwater.
Inspired by other companies'
philanthropy as part of their business
models, and based on biblical lessons
on tithing, Richlands' " One for 10
Gallon Give Back " provides one gallon
of milk for a food bank or family for
every 10 gallons purchased.
The company partners with area
food banks, including the Dinwiddie
Food Bank and Faces Food Pantry
in Farmville, which serve around
300 families.
" They have refrigeration, so it
worked well for us to get a fairly
sizable amount together and deliver
to them, " Drinkwater says.
The program has been successful,
with the dairy donating more than
9,000 gallons of milk in 2020.
" My personal philosophy is help
who you can when you can, " Jones
says. " It could very easily be us at the
food bank tomorrow, and we would
appreciate those donations. " 
June 2021 | Cooperative Living | 35
PHOTO COURTESY RICHLANDS DAIRY AND CREAMERY
PHOTO COURTESY BOWMONT DAIRY FARM
http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living June 2021

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