Getting fresh milk to those in need has gotten a boost in Franklin County. Through local donations to a charitable milk program, the Franklin County Dairy Promotion Committee recently purchased refrigeration units for two food banks, making access to milk there more achievable.
Milk is one of the most requested items at food banks, according to Feeding Pennsylvania, a statewide association of food banks. Yet, milk is one of the least donated items, and many food banks don’t have the cooling capacity to keep the nutrient-dense whole food available for clients. Two local food banks now have coolers making milk and other dairy products more available to their clients.
Fill a Glass with Hope
During the past 11 years, the statewide Fill a Glass with Hope charitable program has raised $1.7 million that enabled food banks to distribute more than 42.6 million servings of fresh milk to families experiencing food insecurity.
In order to have milk available for clients, food banks need proper storage. To that end, Franklin County dairy promoters recently used locally-collected Fill a Glass with Hope funds to provide refrigeration units to Shippensburg Produce and Outreach and the Calvary Bible Church food pantry, located at Living Word Community Church in Greencastle. The dairy committee partnered with the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank to coordinate the donations.
“Milk and other dairy products need to be stored at 40 degrees or below for best quality, but unfortunately, not all food pantries have this capability, which limits those that can participate in the Fill A Glass With Hope program,” said Franklin County Dairy Princess Rebekah Aldrich, who also serves as a state alternate dairy princess.
“By providing a food pantry with the necessary equipment to keep milk safe and wholesome, we aim to ensure all families can receive milk week after week.”
Greencastle and Shippensburg food banks benefit
The Calvary Bible Church food pantry serves about 100 families each month. John Olson, who manages the pantry with his wife Linda, sayid the new cooler allows them to make dairy a consistent offering.
“We want to offer dairy products every single month for our clients,” Olson said. “To have a dedicated refrigerator where we can store milk, cheese and butter is a huge deal for us.
“It’s a big step to be able to provide these healthy foods to our clients.”
The refrigerators have glass doors, providing easy visibility of the items inside. That’s a feature Jennifer Crotsley, executive director for Shippensburg Produce and Outreach where about 1,200 people are served each week, said will be a great benefit as the pantry moves toward operating under a client choice model of distribution with the users being able to select the items themselves from shelves and coolers.
“This partnership really helps us to move one step closer to our client’s choice model in 2026, and making fluid milk cold and accessible for clients,” said Crotsley.
Milk meets nutrient needs
Cindy Pasi is the senior retail donation manager at the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank. She said Shippensburg Produce and Outreach orders milk directly from Central Pennsylvania Food Bank to distribute to clients. In addition the food bank has had more than 35,000 pounds of dairy, including fresh milk, donated there since 2017.
“You can see that there is tremendous need and even greater opportunity here,” said Pasi.
“This cooler will help them distribute even more healthy nutritious milk and dairy products.”
Aldrich explained that milk contains 13 essential nutrients. Both recipient food pantries reach a lot of seniors and families, the very groups who benefit most from milk’s nutritional value.
“One in every six children are food insecure and one in every 15 seniors faces hunger,” said the princess. “For children, milk plays a necessary role in supporting brain and bone development. For seniors, milk helps protect bone health and prevent osteoporosis.
“A cooler doesn’t only preserve milk, it preserves health, expands pantry capacity, reduces waste and allows families to receive nutritious fluid milk for the long term.”
Farmers to consumers
While the cooler units enhance the ability of these organizations to offer the nutrient-dense whole food to their clients, this project also recognizes the contribution of dairy farmers and supports their industry by increasing consumption.
State deputy agriculture secretary Lisa Graybeal noted the connection with the rich agricultural region of Franklin and Cumberland counties, the part that plays in the economy of the local community and with its residents who are most in need.
“We’re deeply rooted here as dairy farmers and that success inextricably links to the well being of our neighbors and their communities,” Graybeal said. “The reality is, as rich as the farmland is, as rich as our communities are, we still have that need.
“It’s so powerful to get these coolers in to provide this product. It really allows us to bridge that gap between our local producers and those who need it most.”
Graybeal said the coolers are not just equipment. “It’s an investment in safety. It’s an investment in dignity. And it’s an investment in nutrition for our communities.
“It really is ensuring the goodness produced by our farmers translates directly into better health and a stronger future for every family served.”
Continuing to fill the glass
Franklin County Dairy Promotion Committee chairperson, Selina Horst Laman, was instrumental in raising the Fill a Glass with Hope funds for the coolers by organizing a 5K run when she served as the county and state dairy princess. It’s an event Aldrich will continue this spring.
“We both have a true love and passion for promoting dairy and also a passion for the amazing program of Fill a Glass with Hope,” said Laman.
“We’re so excited to see each pantry be able to use these coolers and for the funds to go to a good cause.”
The 2026 Fill a Glass with Hope 5K will be held at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 9, at Norlo Park, Fayetteville.
“A cooler doesn’t only preserve milk,” said Aldrich. “It preserves health, expands pantry capacity, reduces waste and allows families to receive nutritious fluid milk for the long term.
“Donating a cooler doesn’t just provide milk today, it creates the infrastructure to provide milk tomorrow, next month and for years to come.
“Milk is wholesome, nourishing and essential. It’s something everyone deserves. We can harness the strength of our dairy community not only to fill glasses, but also to fill hearts and fill lives with hope.”
For information on the 5K or to arrange for a dairy promotion from a team member, contact the Franklin County Dairy Promotion Committee by calling or texting 717-552-0655, or by emailing [email protected]
