Cargill is joining forces with dairy farmer Tara Vander Dussen, also known as New Mexico Milkmaid, to get more milk to families in need. Inspired by September being Hunger Action Month, Vander Dussen is using her social media following to encourage participation in a fun and light-hearted milk chugging challenge.
For every person who posts a video or picture of themselves chugging milk on Instagram, with the hashtag #MilkChugChallenge, and tagging New Mexico Milkmaid, Vander Dussen will donate $1 (up to $500) to www.giveagallon.com throughout the month of September and Cargill with match her donation dollar for dollar.
“We love the creativity of the dairy farmers we work with every day, and it’s even better when they combine promotion of the dairy products we love with a donation to The Great American Milk Drive,” says Josh Hushon, Marketing Communications Lead for Cargill’s U.S. dairy feed business. “This partnership will raise awareness of hunger and the big needs in our local communities, and is one more way we’ll be supporting the industry we serve while living our mission of nourishing the world.”
Donations to www.giveagallon.com are given to local food banks for the sole purpose of purchasing milk — one of the most requested items. Milk is the top food source for three of the nutrients most likely to be missing in kids’ diets — calcium, vitamin D, and potassium. But despite the demand, it’s one of the least donated items at food banks. On average, food banks are only able to provide the equivalent of less than one gallon per person per year.
“For the month of September, my dream was to bring awareness to hunger action month while encouraging people to have some fun drinking milk on social media with the #MilkChugChallenge. By doing something as simple as drinking a glass of milk, you can help give milk to families in need in our communities,” said Vander Dussen. “Thanks to the support of Cargill, we are hoping to bring that dream to life and raise $1,000 total for giveagallon.com. With the #MilkChugChallenge, we can support our dairy farmers and help provide nutritious milk to those in need and hopefully get some good laughs from some funny videos!”
