Organizers are readying for the local launch of The Great American Milk Drive Saturday, Oct. 25, 2014, at Burlington area Hannaford Supermarkets. Shown here left to right are Chris Pierson, Cabot Creamery Cooperative; Sylvester Chase, Booth Bros. Dairy Warehouse Manager; Tom Abbiati, Vermont Foodbank; Jerry Booth, Booth Bros. Dairy; Jolinda LaClair, Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food, and Markets; Alex Bornstein, Vermont Foodbank; Jeanette Segale, Hannaford Supermarkets Gary Wheelock, New England Dairy Promotion Board; Vermont dairy farmer Jane Clifford; and John Sayles, Vermont Foodbank. (Photo by Karen Pike)

“Hannaford is committed to helping fight hunger in Vermont through regular product and financial donations, as well as partnerships such as The Great American Milk Drive,” says Amy White, community relations coordinator for the grocer. “The milk donated by Hannaford customers through this event will make a real difference in the lives of our neighbors who are struggling to provide their families with nutritious meals.”

“According the new data from Hunger in America 2014, we know that milk ranks among the top products desired by our customers but not readily available at food shelves,” said John Sayles, Vermont Foodbank CEO. “And that’s because the Foodbank rarely sees donations of milk.

“The Foodbank’s 270 network partners are providing for the nutritional needs of 153,000 Vermonters each year, many of whom are visiting food shelves and meal sites every month,” explains Sayles. “We have a responsibility to provide the most nutritious food choices available to ensure the health of our customers and The Great American Milk Drive is a great effort in that direction.”

Those interested in supporting the Great American Milk Drive can also text MILK to 80088 to give $5 to Feeding America.

For more information on The Great American Milk Drive, visit www.mustbethemilk.com/milkdrive/

Great American Milk Drive Supporters:

About Hannaford Supermarkets

Hannaford Supermarkets, based in Scarborough, Maine, operates 185 stores in the Northeast. Stores are located in Maine, New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. All Hannaford stores feature Guiding Stars, America’s first storewide nutrition navigation system, and most stores have full-service pharmacies. Hannaford employs more than 26,000 associates. Additional information can be found at www.hannaford.com.

About Booth Bros.

Buying local is important to many of us these days, but it’s the way we at Booth Bros.® have always done business.  Our milk comes from local family farms that make up the Central Vermont Producers Association, a 25-farm cooperative providing milk from cows not treated with artificial growth hormones.  Thanks to the dedication of family farmers across the state, you know that Booth Bros. Milk meets the highest quality standards. All milk processed at the Booth Bros. plant in Barre is sourced from Vermont farms located in Washington, Lamoille and Orange counties.  Milk processed at our facility comes from farmers that pledge not to use artificial growth hormones.  Booth Bros. is proud to be in Vermont, and prouder still that we’ve helped Vermonters live a little healthier and a little happier – thanks to our products and our commitment to high quality and great taste.  And you can trust that Booth Bros. Milk you buy for your family is local milk, the freshest and finest milk local farms can offer.

About Cabot Creamery Cooperative

Cabot Creamery Cooperative has been in continuous operation in Vermont since 1919, and makes a full line of cheeses, yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese and butter. Widely known as makers of “The World’s Best Cheddar,” Cabot is owned by the 1200 dairy farm families of Agri-Mark, the Northeast’s premier dairy cooperative, with farms located throughout New England and upstate New York. For more information on Cabot, visit: www.cabotcheese.coop. Cabot Creamery Cooperative is the world’s first cheese maker and dairy cooperative to achieve B Corporation Certification, a validation of its attention to environmental and social impacts on stakeholders.

About Monument Farms Dairy

Monument Farms Dairy is a fourth generation family farm begun in 1930.  Today, Monument Farms milks nearly 500 cows, crops nearly 2000 acres in Weybridge, Vermont, and sells their fluid milks throughout the Champlain Valley and other regions of Vermont. Monument Farms has received several regional awards for their conservation efforts and practices and are currently a proud producer of Cow Power.

About Vermont Foodbank

Through a network of 270 food shelves, meals sites, senior centers, shelters, after-school programs across the state, the Vermont Foodbank runs programs that help feed as many as 86,000 Vermonters who need food assistance. The Foodbank is a member of Feeding America, the nation’s network of 210 food banks across the United States and in Puerto Rico, and is the largest charitable hunger organization in the country.

About Must Be The Milk

What makes New England so special?  Must Be The Milk!  Must Be The Milk is an initiative of New England Dairy Promotion Board.  The goals of the campaign are to educate New Englanders about dairy farming and encourage them to purchase local milk and dairy products.  Learn more at MustBeTheMilk.com.