“As a cooperative, we are committed to giving back in those communities where we live and work,” says Monica Massey, senior vice president and chief of staff at DFA. “Our employees are grateful for the opportunity to help provide a more festive holiday for families in their areas.”

Below is a snapshot of the Cooperative’s community giving activities from across the country.

• At DFA headquarters in Kansas City, Kan., a variety of activities were held, including raffles and a chili cook-off contest, to raise money for the purchase of holiday gifts for children in need. Toys and gifts were provided to children in the Kansas KVC Holiday Heroes and McKinney-Vento programs. Through the fundraising efforts, DFA employees raised nearly $7,000.
• Employees in the Mideast Area participated in several charitable efforts for the holidays, including collecting money and donating 200 half-pints of milk for the Medina County, Ohio, Shop with a Cop program, as well as donating 125 gallons of whole milk to the Blessings in a Backpack program at a local school district. Employees also helped collect laundry detergent, soap and shampoo for the Tank the Truck program, which supports the Medina County Chapter #72 of the Disabled American Veterans.
• In November and December, the Northeast Area delivered five truckloads of milk, which will be processed into approximately 25,000 pounds of cheese for the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank in Harrisburg, Pa. The food bank is part of the national Feeding America network and a member of Feeding Pennsylvania, a statewide association that promotes charitable food distribution. The cheese will be available to 900 partner agencies that provide food to more than 65,000 people throughout central Pennsylvania each week. Additionally, Northeast Area employees donated food and gifts to individuals and families in need, served by The Salvation Army Syracuse.
• As a result of year-long fundraising, employees at DFA’s plant in Springfield, Mo., helped make the holidays brighter for children at the Marion C. Early elementary school in Morrisville, Mo., by hosting a gift-giving party. During the event, approximately 300 children from the school had the chance to visit with Santa Claus, decorate cookies and drink milk, as well as receive holiday gifts, which were purchased through fundraising.
• In conjunction with Dairy MAX, the Southeast Area was able to arrange the donation of 400 pounds of milk powder to the North Pole of Texas Christmas Program’s Hot Chocolate Factoryevent, which will host close to 20,000 visitors this season. Additionally, Southeast Area employees made donations throughout December to purchase gifts benefiting the Toys for Tots Foundation.

Community outreach programs, such as the holiday giving campaign, are a key focus for the DFA Cares Foundation, which was established in 2005 as a nonprofit charitable organization. Through the DFA Cares Foundation, DFA provides disaster relief via product and monetary donations, invests in the future of the industry with scholarships to students pursuing careers in dairy and contributes dairy food and products for those in need.

Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) is a national dairy marketing cooperative that serves and is owned by more than 13,000 members on nearly 8,000 farms in 48 states. DFA also is one of the country’s most diversified manufacturers of dairy products, food components and ingredients, and is a leader in formulating and packaging shelf-stable dairy products. For more information, call 1-888-DFA-MILK (332-6455) or visit dfamilk.com.