Kroger, the nation’s largest supermarket chain, will donate 200,000 gallons of milks to America’s food banks through the end of August.
The donations are part of Kroger’s Dairy Rescue Program, which is a partnership between the company and dairy suppliers that enables food insecure communities to get milk. Kroger will not only donate the milk, but also pay for the processing and packaging of the milk.
The news is welcomed by America’s dairy farmers, who are dumping between 3 and 4 million gallons of milk per day.
“Kroger recognizes the growing need for fresh, highly nutritious food in our community, especially for children as schools remain closed during the pandemic to flatten the curve,” Erin Sharp, Kroger’s group vice president of manufacturing, told CNN. “At a time when dairy farmers have surplus raw milk, we’re doubling down on our mission to reduce hunger and waste.”
The donations will go to directly to Feeding America food banks.