Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) member and Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program board member Louie Diamond from Masontown, Pa., has been instrumental in getting milk to families in his community since the pandemic began. He helped initiate three milk drives, including one of the earliest DFA milk distributions in April prior to the establishment of CFAP.
Last week, he helped get 3,500 gallons of Schneider’s Dairy milk, purchased through CFAP, to two locations in his county. More distributions are set in the upcoming weeks.
“I think these milk drives will help future sales and consumption by getting people back into the habit of drinking milk,â€_x009d_ said Diamond. If larger families pass through, the volunteers will often give them more than two gallons. “Because it’s perishable, we know people aren’t going to take more than they need and hoard it.â€_x009d_
He also views the milk drives as an opportunity for local communities to work together, including law enforcement, fire departments, borough council members, and churches who help execute and host the events. “On Sundays we preach from the pulpit but on Saturdays we preach with our hands,â€_x009d_ Diamond added.
ADA North East joined forces with DFA to distribute more than 174,000 gallons of milk throughout the region during the early days of the pandemic.