SAVANNAH, Ga., May 6, 2024—The IDFA Foundation and several leading dairy companies donated a truckload of milk and $10,000 to Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia food bank today to address hunger in the greater Savannah area. The donations were announced at a three-hour service event at the food bank where more than 60 dairy food company executives packed lunches for food-insecure children in the Savannah area. Altogether, the donations from the IDFA Foundation and its partners will support more than 53,000 meals for people in need.
Organized by the IDFA Foundation and the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), the donations will benefit Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia’s Kids Café program and Mobile Food Pantry. The Kids Café program provides meals to children who struggle with hunger during the evening hours after school or during the spring and summer months when school meals are no longer available. IDFA board members packed 3,000 lunches to benefit the food bank’s Kids Café program today and sorted food goods to benefit the Mobile Food Pantry, which provides meals to rural and military families struggling with food insecurity throughout the year.
Generous donations were made possible by the following IDFA members:
- 2,640 cases of Pantry Fresh (UHT), lactose-free milk by the Marcel J Damiens Family Foundation and Diversified Foods, Inc. of Louisiana, valued at approximately $30,000
- Schreiber Foods of Wisconsin
- Hixson Inc.
The IDFA Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit that seeks to make an important contribution to people and communities on behalf of the U.S. dairy industry by providing grants that reduce hunger, improve environmental sustainability, and enhance the welfare of people working in food manufacturing. The Foundation, supported in large part by contributions from U.S. dairy companies, has provided more than 500,000 meals to food insecure people in the U.S. and around the world since 2022.
“The IDFA Foundation is committed to reducing hunger in Georgia and wherever it exists,” said Matt Herrick, executive director of the IDFA Foundation. “We are proud to partner with Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia to support the greater Savannah community, and I am grateful to our partners and donors for making today’s gifts possible.”
“The Marcel J Damiens Family Foundation and Diversified Foods are proud to take part in donating this Shelf Stable Pantry Fresh Dairy Milk knowing the impact it will have to help reduce hunger in the greater Savannah community,” said Sean Steichen, Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives for Diversified Foods, Inc. “We value any opportunity to work with food bank partners to help families in need knowing the many struggles that people go through to secure their important nutritious milk consumption needs. Our Shelf Stable Pantry Fresh Lactose-Free Milk products play an important role in bringing consumers milk in a delicious, nutritious, and lactose-free package. Thank you to the IDFA Foundation for working together to organize this important effort.”
“Access to food continues to be a challenge for many individuals,” said Dave Coble, senior vice president of human resources with Schreiber Foods and a director on the board of the IDFA Foundation. “Schreiber Foods is pleased to partner with IDFA and its members to do good through food by making this donation to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Coastal Georgia.”
According to Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia, more than 2.3 million people in the state of Georgia and 114,760 in Coastal Georgia struggle with hunger every day. The food bank distributed 19 million meals in 2023 alongside its 240+ partner organizations and non-profits. Established in 1981 in Savannah, America’s Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia is a locally inspired, volunteer-driven nonprofit food bank and community partnering organization. They feed tens of thousands of people who face hunger by distributing nutritious food to non-profit agencies and partners. Their programs include Brown Bag for the Elderly, Kids Cafe, Mobile Food Pantry, and a Partner Marketplace. They also partner with 245 faith-based and non-profit agencies to provide emergency food assistance across Coastal Georgia.
“Dairy is one of the most in-demand items for our neighbors and often difficult for food banks to obtain through donations,” said Mary Jane Crouch, executive director of Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia. “In addition to the monetary gift from the IDFA Foundation and its members, which will allow us to distribute additional meals to children and rural and military families throughout Coastal Georgia, the shelf-stable milk will respond immediately to the nutritional needs of our community and be well received by those we serve. Thank you to IDFA Foundation and dairy companies for reaching out to help struggling Georgians.”
To learn more about the work of the IDFA Foundation, visit www.idfafoundation.org.
# # #
The IDFA Foundation seeks to make an important contribution to people and communities on behalf of the U.S. dairy industry by providing grants to support individuals and organizations working to advance human health and nutrition, improve environmental stewardship and sustainability, and enhance the welfare of people working in food manufacturing. Established in 1958 as the Dairy Recognition and Education Foundation, today the IDFA Foundation promotes the health and well-being of people, communities, and our planet on behalf of U.S. dairy.
Media Contact
Matt Herrick
Executive Vice President, Chief Impact Officer, IDFA Foundation