By Elana Warsen
FAIRVIEW- More than 500 customers of Fairview Food Market donated milk to families in need earlier this month, said Owner Dan Swartzendruber.
The store participated in the Great American Milk Drive, an effort spearheaded by the United Dairy Industry of the Midwest and the National Dairy Council. For every gallon of milk donated by a customer at $2.99 per gallon, the store donated a gallon, for a total of 1,134 gallons.
Donations go to Together We Can Food Pantry in Mio, but the milk will never touch the shelves of the pantry.
‘The pantry gets certificates good for a free gallon of milk at our store so that they don’t have to deal with the logistics of storing milk,’ said Swartzendruber, who added that the amount donated exceeded his expectations.
‘I was hoping we’d be able to get donations for 250 gallons so that we could give out 500,’ he said. ‘It just shows the great support of the local community.’
Cashier Dawn Neil invited customers to donate milk when they checked out with their groceries. She says she was touched by the generosity she saw.
‘They just did it. It was cool,’ she said. ‘A lot of people who probably couldn’t [afford to] donate were donating.’
Fairview Food Market is located at 1508 N. Abbe Rd. in Fairview. They can be reached at 989-848-2820.
For more information about Together We Can Food Pantry, call 989-848-5293.
