California Dairy Families and Raley’s Food For Families Partner to Deliver Nutritious Milk and Dairy Foods to Families Facing Food Insecurity

In California, over 3 million households face food insecurity. In honor of June as National Dairy Month, the California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) is partnering for the third year with Raley’s Food For Families program to deliver milk and dairy foods to nourish families in California communities.

Throughout the month of June, California dairy families, through the CMAB, will match customer in-store and online Food For Families donations, dollar-for-dollar (up to $35,000) to provide California dairy products to feeding programs. Prompts with the “Do Good with Dairy” message will be shared through in-store signage and digital communications to alert consumers to the initiative. Part of the Real California Milk CADAIRY4GOOD program and Raley’s well-known Food For Families charitable organization, the partnership is part of an ongoing commitment from both to providing resources to food banks and feeding programs to increase access to nutritious foods.

“The California Department of Food and Agriculture is proud to be part of this effort,” said California Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross. “We applaud the Milk Advisory Board and Raley’s for their commitment in bringing nutrition to families in need.”

“As a California dairy farmer, I’m passionate about making sure families have access to milk and dairy foods—the most nourishing and affordable sources of nutrition,” said Nicole Morris who, with her husband, operates the JNM Dairy in Modesto. “This partnership brings much-needed support to communities while also reinforcing the important role dairy plays in helping families grow and thrive.”

Milk donations will be distributed to 12 Food For Family partner food banks – Alameda County Community Food Bank, Central California Food Bank, Food Bank for Monterey County, Food Bank of Contra Costa & Solano, Feeding the Foothills, Food Bank of Northern Nevada, Redwood Empire Food Bank, Sacramento Food Bank & Family Services, Second Harvest of Silicon Valley, Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz County, Second Harvest of the Greater Valley, and Yolo Food Bank.

“Milk is vitamin and nutrient-dense liquid gold to our neighbors trying to keep healthy food options on their tables. We could not be more grateful that the California Milk Advisory Board has again partnered with Raley’s Food for Families. It’s always a massive help when we can provide dairy products, like milk to the community,” said Jessica Vaughan, Chief Executive Officer, Second Harvest of the Greater Valley.

With help from customers, vendors, and Raley’s team members, Raley’s Food For Families has provided millions of meals to local families. Raley’s absorbs all administrative costs, maximizing the impact of every donation.

“Year-around we accept donations to Food For Families to help alleviate hunger in our community,” said Zoe Edwards, Raley’s Food For Families Operations Specialist. “Dairy is a highly-requested, nutritious food group and additional source of protein that our food banks are eager to provide to their community. We are proud to partner with Real California Milk to bring dairy products to our food bank partners.”

The CADAIRY4GOOD platform focuses on increasing access to nourishing dairy foods for individuals and families throughout California through partnerships to pilot programs to deliver product and refrigeration resources to the state’s food banks and feeding programs.

California is the number one dairy state. Its more than 1,000 family dairy farms are focused on delivering the wholesome goodness of California milk while creating a greener, more sustainable future for dairy in the state.

The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB), an instrumentality of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, is funded by the state’s dairy farm families who lead the nation in sustainable dairy farming practices. With a vision to nourish the world with the wholesome goodness of Real California Milk, the CMAB’s programs focus on increasing demand for California’s sustainable dairy products in the state, across the U.S. and around the world. Connect with the CMAB at RealCaliforniaMilk.com, Facebook, YouTube, Tik Tok, Instagram, X and Pinterest.