COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Oasis of Mercy Food Pantry in Mechanicsburg has been awarded a dairy cooler as part of the American Dairy Association Mideast milk cooler grant program.

The program, funded by Ohio dairy farmers, provides local food pantries with a refrigeration unit to help store milk and dairy foods at proper temperatures.

Bonnie Ayars from Ayars Family Farm nominated Oasis of Mercy Food Pantry to receive the milk cooler to help increase the availability of fresh, delicious dairy foods for their customers.

Scott Spinner from Oasis of Mercy Food Pantry said, “We are in Mechanicsburg, where the need is great. Our patrons do not take or ask for more than what they need. We can supply them with a great deal of canned goods, and frozen foods, but milk, eggs, and dairy products are what we are limited on due to capacity of only having one refrigerator currently. The amount of dairy that we could supply could be tremendous for our patrons, and extremely beneficial due to the large amount of families who have children, or grandchildren living with them.”

In Ohio, one in seven people struggle with hunger. Milk is one of the most requested items for food banks, but despite the demand, it’s one of the least donated items.

On average, food banks are only able to provide the equivalent of less than one gallon per person per year.

“Ohio dairy farmers understand how important it is to get nutritious dairy foods into the hands of people who need them most, especially now at a time when food insecurity is high,” said Scott Higgins, CEO of American Dairy Association Mideast. “Our milk cooler program ensures dairy foods maintain peak freshness while increasing dairy’s availability to families in the community.”

To learn more about healthy dairy foods, delicious recipes, dairy nutrition and more, visit Drink-Milk.com.