Dairy Donations Championed by Ag Students

Dairy Donations Championed by Ag Students

Haylie Shipp
Haylie Shipp
One in eight Californians struggles with food insecurity, and milk is one of the most requested yet least donated items at food banks. But thanks to the creativity of California’s student dairy advocates, that’s changing.

Late in 2024, the California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) teamed up with students from Chico State, Fresno State, Cal Poly, and Modesto Junior College for the second annual Real California Milk Intercollegiate Give-A-Gallon Challenge. Each participating team started with a pledge of 100 gallons of milk from CMAB, which encouraged further community engagement and additional donations.

These students took action—sharing information on social media, hosting milk drives, and rallying donations both in-person and online. Their efforts raised over 6,000 gallons of milk, distributed to 17 local food banks, including student pantries.

For Fresno State’s Anthony Agueda, a dairy farmer and Ag Business student, the best part was seeing faces light up when delivering milk to food banks. Nicole Morris from MJC added that over four years, her team has donated nearly 3,000 gallons to Stanislaus County alone, providing 48,000 servings of fresh milk.

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