CT Food Bank Launches 'More Milk' E-Campaign

Summer is a time of high anxiety for low-income families who must provide 200 extra meals for each child when school is not in session.

To help make a difference in the lives of these children, The Farmer’s Cow is donating a half gallon of milk to — up to 5,000 gallons during the months of July and August — for every four electronic greeting cards that are emailed to help spread the word about the problem of summer hunger.

The food bank, which is headquarterd along Bradley Avenue in East Haven, launched the “More Milk” for Hungry Children email campaign on May 29. It will run until July 4.

Contrary to what many people believe, the highest demand for food assistance to hungry families is during the summer, according to food bank officials.

“The number of children who have little or no food during the summer months is alarming,” said Nancy L. Carrington, Connecticut Food Bank’s president & CEO. “Nearly one out of every five children in Connecticut is at risk of hunger, which is more than 109,000 children in Connecticut Food Bank’s service area. We are grateful to The Farmer’s Cow for helping us provide hungry children with nutritious milk.”

Food bank officials added that summer also is the time of year when food donations are at their lowest which makes the situation for hungry families even more difficult.

And so, upon learning about the problem of summer hunger, leadership at The Farmer’s Cow — a group of six Connecticut family-owned dairy farms — said they wanted to do something to help hungry Connecticut families who are dealing with the difficulty of keeping food on the table during the summer months.

“Children should be having fun in the summer, running and playing in the outdoors, not feeling hungry. We want to help Connecticut Food Bank spread the word about the problem of summer hunger, but even more so — we want to help prevent hunger by providing fresh, local milk to children who can enjoy it,” said Robin Chesmer, managing member of The Farmer’s Cow. “We encourage others to remind their friends and family about their neighbors' struggle with summer hunger, and help Connecticut children who should be enjoying their summer vacation without feeling hungry.”

To send the eCard message about summer hunger to friends and family and help Connecticut Food Bank receive 5,000 half gallons of milk, visit www.ctfoodbank.org.