It’s School Milk Day! Can You Give Milk to a Child?

I was born and raised in Wisconsin, America’s Dairyland. To say I grew up with an affection for milk would be putting things mildly. I love milk.

I’ve passed on my love of all things dairy, especially milk, to my kids. They have it for breakfast and dinner and will often ask if they can take 50 cents to school to have it as a treat for lunch.

That little box is a carton of delicious happiness and nutrition, which is why when Heifer International reached out to me asking if I would write a sponsored post to help get milk in the hands – and bellies- of more kids, I eagerly said yes.

Prior to Heifer reaching out, I wasn’t aware that numerous countries throughout the world are being impacted by a looming milk crisis. As a family that easily goes through two gallons of milk each week, I have no idea what I would think or do if my grocery store suddenly ran out of milk. Yet, in a multitude of other countries, milk is a commodity that isn’t always available. And even if it is available, it’s often priced so high that only the most privileged families can afford it.

Heifer has an incredible Milk For School program, which a small and relatively new nonprofit organization dedicated to providing some of the world’s most impoverished children with milk at school. Right now, this program is only up and running in some of the major cities of Tanzania. Heifer has been working in Tanzania since 2008, focused on helping the government and farmers become more successful dairy farmers.

And maybe you didn’t know this, but much of Eastern Africa is in the middle of a food crisis. Though Tanzania isn’t “officially” a part of that crisis, many relief organizations believe the country should be included, suggesting that the majority of Tanzania’s kids are suffering from the lack of basic foods/nutrition.

And milk can help. It doesn’t solve everything. But it helps. A lot. One packet (200ml) of milk contains at least a quarter of the daily calcium requirements for children.

Currently, just over 1,700 students in the Njombe region receive a free, daily packet of fresh milk every day Monday – Friday during the school year. The Heifer School Milk Feeding Program has a goal of getting milk in the hands of 9,000 kids. 

In honor of School Milk Day being today, would you consider donating to help these kids? Just $75 will get milk to a child for an entire school year. Supporting the program will positively impact communities by:

• Providing milk for children who suffer from a lack of proper nutrition
• Empowering students to focus on learning instead of hunger
• Creating a reliable market for producers
• Increasing farmers’ incomes and reducing poverty

Sometimes it feels like the world’s problems are so big, it is difficult to help. But this is a way we can make a difference, one child at a time.