Live Press Conference:
Hunger Task Force has teamed up with Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection to bring fresh milk to the growing number of underfed and unemployed people in our state.
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Since COVID-19 has taken the world by storm, more than 75% of the nation's over 660,000 restaurants have closed. Family dairy farmers and processors in Wisconsin have been hit especially hard by this as about half of the state's dairy production goes to the food service industry.
That being said, Hunger Task Force is committing up to $1 million to the Wisconsin Dairy Recovery Partnership, which will pay Wisconsin dairy farmers to supply milk to farmer-owned dairy cooperative Kemps in Cedarburg, Wis. Kemps will kick of beginning phases of production this week.
“The opportunity to do something for our communities is part of farmers’ DNA,” said Chad Vincent, CEO of Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin. “Keeping our farms as stable as possible is absolutely critical to the economic health of the communities where they live…and ultimately the state’s economy. We will continue to look for ways to get milk and dairy products to people in need. We are committed to developing new avenues for the movement of milk while the nation recovers from the pandemic.”
Huger Task Force will also distribute the milk to Free & Local partner food banks and food pantries through the Hunger Relief Federation of Wisconsin.
To support the ongoing recovery of Wisconsin’s dairy industry, Hunger Task Force encourages the public to make an online donation at www.HungerTaskForce.org/dairy.