Skip to main content

On Your Table Blog

June 7, 2019

The need for milk

The need for milk

National Dairy Month's theme this year is childhood hunger.

One in six people, including 16 million children, are affected by hunger in the United States. And while hunger relief organizations do their best to supply those in need with food, they don’t always have the resources to provide nutrient-rich options to help support their clients’ dietary needs.

Food banks are crucial for providing nourishment to millions of Americans, and milk is 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.

You can help change that through the Give a Gallon program at milklife.com.

An 8-ounce glass contains 9 essential nutrients — including 8 grams of high-quality protein, as well as calcium, vitamin D and potassium, three nutrients noted by the 2015 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee Report as nutrients of concern – nutrients many Americans don’t get in their diets.

Learn more about the importance of milk at milklife.com