Iowa 4-H’ers from 10 counties across Iowa participated in a “10 Gallon Milk Challenge”.  Civic Engagement is one the program priorities for Iowa 4-H and the Social Media Challenge that originated in Ohio, was right at the heart of Iowa 4-H.  4-H’ers who participated not only supported Dairy Farmers by buying milk from their local grocery stores but also helped those in need by donating this milk to the local food pantries, shelter houses, or other non-profit organizations.

4-H’ers learned about food insecurity and the Dairy Industry, and they learned that milk is an item that is often needed at food pantries due to its nutritional value and low shelf life. Iowa participants were able to donate 626 gallons of milk to many different organizations from across the state. Shelter Houses, Crisis Centers, Community Food Pantries, and Catholic worker homes were a few of the Organizations that benefited from the efforts. After two-months of the Challenge, East Pottawattamie County 4-H’ers donated 30-gallons to the cause.

4-H officials say dairy cow produce an average of 50 pounds of milk a day and a gallon of milk is approximately 8.6 pounds. This means that 4-H’ers donated 5,383 pounds of milk or about 626 cows daily production.