With the holiday season in full swing, Dairy Farmers of Ontario (DFO) has announced it is increasing its donation to Ontario food banks through December and January by nearly 150 per cent.
As part of an effort to help food banks cope with rising demand and to help spread some Christmas cheer, DFO, on behalf of all its members, will donate an additional 160,000 litres of milk to the Ontario Association of Food Banks (OAFB), on top of the ongoing monthly contribution of 65,000 litres.
“We recognize the real need in the community to help those who struggle to provide their families with nutritious food, especially at this time of year,” said Bill Emmott, DFO chair.
“It’s crucial for industry to step up. This is our way of giving back to Ontario and the people of our province during the holiday season.”
Ontario’s dairy farmers are the single largest donor to the OAFB – donating close to one million litres of milk every year.
Throughout the year about 500 dairy farmers in Ontario donate a portion of their own milk; in coordination with industry partners the Ontario Milk Transportation Association and the fluid milk processors in the Ontario Dairy Council, the milk is then delivered to foodbanks throughout the year.
“Hunger and access to fresh, nutritious food continues to be a problem in Canada,” said Amanda King, associate manager of fundraising, membership, and communications for OAFB.
“DFO has always been one of the biggest supporters of the food bank program, and with this additional donation we will be able to serve thousands more families in need during this busy season.”
The OAFB, which released its annual Hunger Report earlier this week, found that in a single month more than 412,998 families in Ontario accessed food banks, with as many as 17,190 households accessing them for the first time.
Tom Kane, president of the Ontario Dairy Council was pleased to confirm that processors were able to facilitate this generous donation.
“This program represents what’s best about our industry. We are pleased to work with our industry partners to provide more fresh fluid milk to those in need at this holiday time,” said Kane.
The donations, to be delivered beginning this week, will quickly find their way into food hampers across the province.
To learn more about the role of individual farmers, transporters and processors visit www.milk.org.
Dairy Farmers of Ontario is a marketing group representing all dairy farmers in Ontario, and is financed by dairy farmers.
