Ozarks Food Harvest (OFH) is a great organization, doing wonderful work for our community. Recently, dietetic intern Julia Henry worked with Ozarks Food Harvest to bring the first Great American Milk Drive to families in our area. This program provides milk to individuals in food pantries through milk vouchers. Milk is frequently requested in pantries, but is not often donated. On top of that, many pantries don’t have storage or refrigeration for milk. The Milk Drive raises money to provide vouchers that individuals can use at any retailer to purchase milk. Pantries distribute vouchers and recipients have more choice in what milk they buy. Milk is one of the most nutritious foods around, providing protein, carbohydrates, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, Vitamin A and Vitamin D. This is a “win-win” situation; it is easy for people to donate and receive milk. The event was a huge success, as 1,570 milk vouchers were donated, getting nutritious milk into the hands those in the Ozarks who need it most.
Blog post written by : Julia Henry and Natalie Allen