On World Milk Day, June 1, Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), Kansas City, Kan., kicked off its month-long campaign to raise awareness and provide relief toward the summer nutrition gap felt by nearly 18 million students who rely on school lunch programs across the country. To do this, DFA said it is rallying around the power of social media and the support of celebrity chef Christina Tosi to share its message and raise donations based on social actions.
For each social post using #GiveMilkMoney during the month of June, DFA said it will donate 1 gallon of milk through its DFA Cares Foundation to kids in need. The milk will go to Feeding America’s food banks across the country.
“As a dairy cooperative and an industry, we have a responsibility to help nourish the communities we are a part of and this #GiveMilkMoney initiative aims to do just that,” said Kristen Coady, vice president of communications at DFA.
To bring the #GiveMilkMoney movement alive in DFA’s hometown of Kansas City, the company said it brought custom milk money ATMs and a family-friendly pop-up experience to the River Market area in Kansas City, Mo. The customized ATMs were converted into giving machines that allowed users to donate with their social currency and encourage their friends to donate through an automated tweet and retweet system. After posting on social media, participants received a free bowl of milk and cereal to further enjoy the goodness of dairy.
According to DFA, World Milk Day was established by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to recognize the importance of milk as a global food. It has been observed on June 1 each year since 2001. The day is intended to provide an opportunity to bring attention to activities that are connected with the dairy sector.
To join the #GiveMilkMoney movement, post on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter using #GiveMilkMoney and DFA said it will donate up to 10,000 gallons of milk.