World Milk Day Celebrated With Exciting Major Weis Markets Donation To Statewide “Fill A Glass With Hope®” Fresh Milk Campaign
Grocery Store Customers Encouraged To Donate To “FILL A GLASS WITH HOPE®” And Enjoy “MILKSHAKES ON THE MOO-VE” As Truck Travels To Select Weis Markets Offering Famous Dairy Treats To Fans!
Enola, Pa. — In celebration of June Dairy Month, World Milk Day and the largest sector of the state’s number one industry Agriculture, Pennsylvania Dairymen’s Association, Feeding Pennsylvania, American Dairy Association North East and Pennsylvania Dairy Princesses teamed up with Weis Markets to tackle hunger. Today, Weis Markets announced a major $50,000 philanthropic commitment to pour fresh milk across Pennsylvania through Fill A Glass With Hope®. To assist them in meeting that $50,000 goal, Weis Markets is inviting its customers to round up their grocery payments at checkout counters to help fight hunger throughout the month of June. Weis Markets is also hosting the PA Dairymen’s “Milkshakes On The Moo-ve” truck at area stores for milkshake fans to enjoy the popular milkshakes. To highlight World Milk Day, Weis Markets is donating a truckload of milk valued at $10,000 to the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, which covers 79 Weis Markets stores in 27 counties. Weis Markets will continue to support regional food banks throughout its market area with milk donations for Dairy Month.
Since its inception, Fill a Glass with Hope® has provided more than 21 million servings of milk to families in need through Feeding Pennsylvania’s nine-member food banks statewide.
Jane Clements, Executive Director, Feeding PA applauded the greatly needed donation saying, ”No one in Pennsylvania should be denied access to nutritious food, including fresh milk, especially the over half a million children in our Commonwealth who are facing hunger every day. Milk is one of the most requested items in our charitable food network and Feeding Pennsylvania’s member food banks are extremely appreciative of our dairy farmers and business leaders such as Weis Markets for investing in this amazing program so that we can purchase milk, at a reduced price, directly from local dairy processors and distribute it to Pennsylvania families in need.”
On average, Feeding PA’s food banks serve nearly 2.2 million Pennsylvanians annually, yet during the first three months of the COVID-19 response, food banks served more than 5.5 million people. The 2021 Projected Child Food Insecurity Rate is 16.8%, up from 14.6% in 2019. The Commonwealth’s official beverage, milk is a highly requested food item at food banks across the country, with nearly 600,000 children facing food insecurity in Pennsylvania. The Weis donation will be distributed to five of Feeding Pennsylvania’s members where Weis Markets are located: Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, Helping Harvest, Philabundance, Second Harvest Food Bank of NEPA and the Lehigh Valley, and the Weinberg Northeast Regional Food Bank.
PA Dairymen’s Association Executive Director Dave Smith says, ”We are grateful to have outstanding community leaders such as Weis Markets behind our state’s number one industry and once again helping us to provide fresh milk to children and families in need to tackle hunger. In addition, individuals and businesses are still reaching out in record numbers asking where they can get our famous milkshakes for a great cause. We are blessed that businesses and community groups like Weis Markets have really stepped up to help support Pennsylvania’s dairy farmers, along with our philanthropic endeavors by requesting Milkshake Pop Ups in communities.” The PA Dairymen’s milkshake is one of the most sought-after favorites at the PA Farm Show.
Milkshake sale proceeds benefit Pennsylvania ag-related charities, along with Feeding PA’s Fill A Glass With Hope® fresh milk program for families in need.
“Weis Markets is proud to partner with the Pennsylvania Dairymen’s Association to address hunger in our communities while supporting Pennsylvania dairy farmers,” said Ron Bonacci, Weis Markets Vice President, Advertising and Marketing. “We know that milk is a cornerstone of a nutritious diet for kids and families and is in high demand at area food banks. We’re grateful to the Pennsylvania Dairymen’s Association for their commitment to fighting hunger and supporting the dairy industry.”
OUTDOOR PA DAIRYMEN’S MILKSHAKE POP UPS DURING THE MONTH OF JUNE (Public Invited):
Tuesday, June 1 – Weis Markets Enola, 4525 Valley Road (11:30AM – 4PM)
Thursday, June 3 – Weis Markets Lewisburg, 6901 Westbranch Highway (11AM – 3PM)
Friday, June 11 – Weis Markets Fogelsville, 7801 Glenlivet West Drive (11AM – 3PM)
Friday, June 18 – Weis Markets Clarks Summit, 1020 Northern Boulevard (11AM – 3PM)
Thursday, June 24 – Weis Markets York, 1800 Roosevelt Avenue (10AM – 2PM)
Friday, June 25 – Weis Markets Camp Hill, 1195 Lowther Road (11AM – 3PM)
Complete with a milk and milkshake toast, PA Dairy Princesses joined the dairy festivities.
Pennsylvania Dairymen’s Association: The Pennsylvania Dairymen’s Association is the oldest dairy group in Pennsylvania. The Dairymen’s Milkshake is the top-selling food item at the Food Court. The Pennsylvania Dairymen’s Association has been supporting “Fill a Glass with Hope®” with agriculture partners, Feeding PA, American Dairy Association North East, corporate partners and food banks since 2015. Over the past three years, the PA Dairymen have donated more than $1.4 million to
programs including The Calving Corner; agricultural and educational projects; initiatives and scholarships; the Fill A Glass with Hope® fresh milk campaign for neighbors in need; the Choose PA Dairy consumer education and awareness campaign; the PA Farm Bureau Mobile Ag Education Lab that travels to schools; and the PA Dairy Princess and Promotion Program. Their philanthropic efforts build a brighter future for all Pennsylvanians. For more information, visit www.padairymens.com.
Weis Markets:
Founded in 1912, Weis Markets, Inc. is a Mid Atlantic food retailer operating 197 stores in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Virginia and West Virginia. For more information, please visit: WeisMarkets.com or Facebook.com/WeisMarkets.
Fill A Glass With Hope®:
Fill a Glass with Hope® is a partnership formed among Feeding Pennsylvania and member food banks, the Pennsylvania Dairymen’s Association, and American Dairy Association North East that raises funds to enable member food banks to purchase fresh milk directly from their local dairies in order to distribute it to families in need. First piloted by the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank and the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank in 2015, Fill a Glass with Hope® launched statewide at the 100th PA Farm Show on January 8th, 2016. Each member food bank became licensed as a charitable milk sub-dealer by the Pennsylvania Milk Marketing board, allowing them to purchase milk from dairies at a reduced price. That reduced price is further subsidized by donations and sponsorships. The program has distributed more than 21 million servings of fresh milk since inception through the charitable food network of pantries, soup kitchen, shelters, and feeding programs.
DAIRY-DELICIOUS FACTS:
- Milk is the official beverage of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
- Pennsylvania is home to more than 5,430 dairy farm families.
- Dairy contributes to $12.6 billion in annual revenue for Pennsylvania.
- Dairy production and associated businesses create more than 52,000 jobs in Pennsylvania.
- PA ranks 2nd in the nation for number of dairy farms and 7th in total milk production nationally.
- One 8-ounce serving of whole milk delivers 13 essential nutrients including 8 grams of protein.
- A glass of milk contains three of the four nutrients the USDA says are under-consumed by most Americans—calcium, vitamin D and potassium.
- Every one cow supports $24,000 in annual economic revenue in Pa.
- Every 10 cows support one job in the state.
FIGHTING HUNGER FACTS:
- Milk:
- Since its inception, Fill a Glass with Hope® has provided more than 21 million servings of milk to families in need through Feeding Pennsylvania’s nine-member food banks statewide.
- Covid & Hunger:
- The Statewide Charitable Food Network distributed 262 million lbs. of food in 2020 compared to 164 million lbs. in 2019 prior to the pandemic.
- On average, Feeding PA’s food banks serve nearly 2.2 million Pennsylvanians annually, yet during the first three months of the COVID-19 response, food banks served more than 5.5 million people.
- According to Feeding America, in 2019, 10.6 percent of all Pennsylvanians didn’t always know where their next meal was coming from. In 2021, Feeding America estimates the number of Pennsylvanians facing food insecurity will grow to 12 percent. The percentage of Pennsylvania children facing food insecurity will rise to 16.8 percent – up from 14.6 percent in 2019.
- 2021 Projected Overall Food Insecurity Rate: 12%
- 2019 Overall Food Insecurity Rate: 10.6%
- 2021 Projected Child Food Insecurity Rate: 16.8%
- 2019 Child Food Insecurity Rate: 14.6%