DALLAS ― Convoy, a digital freight network, and Dairy MAX, a nonprofit dairy council that represents 900 dairy farm families, have teamed up to help families in need by coordinating milk donations from local dairy processors to be delivered to mass food-bank distribution sites across the Southwest. As of May 20, more than 13,000 gallons of Borden Dairy milk had been delivered in Texas alone.
COVID-19 has put a strain on families across the nation, and food banks have reported that milk and other dairy products are among the most requested items. As organizations such as Feeding America have mobilized to service the unprecedented number of people now relying on food pantries to feed their families, Dairy MAX sought out new avenues to ensure food banks are stocked with enough dairy products to put milk in the hands of every family in need.
To quickly move products from dairy processors to food banks, Dairy MAX reached out to Convoy. Leveraging both organizations’ strengths — Dairy MAX’s partnerships with dairy processors and Convoy’s vast shipping network — the organizations have streamlined the delivery of milk to food banks that set up mass distribution sites, serving thousands of people in a single day.
“We heard about Convoy’s efforts delivering donations across the U.S. to food banks and immediately thought of them as a partner that could help us provide dairy to families in need. We were impressed with how quickly Convoy was able to step in and seamlessly pick up the milk donated by Borden Dairy in Dallas and deliver it to the mobile food distribution site that day,” said Mike Konkle, CEO of Dairy MAX. “We decided we were ready to expand our partnership when we saw how efficiently our organizations worked together, and we knew we could make a difference on a much broader scale to support other food banks in our region.”
The partnership will continue to expand to more mass distribution sites, with Dairy MAX connecting local dairy processors participating in USDA milk-donation programs with Feeding America food banks across the nine-state Dairy MAX geographic territory, which includes Texas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Colorado and others. Many of these distribution sites are substantial, feeding up to 10,000 people daily.
Jennifer Wong, head of sustainability for Convoy, added that,
“In times of hardship, it’s important that we come together as a community,” said Jennifer Wong head of sustainability for Convoy. “We are excited to partner with Dairy MAX and are fortunate that our strength driving efficiency in the supply chain meshed with their ongoing efforts to ensure families have the milk and dairy products they need. We experienced firsthand how good they are at what they do and look forward to scaling our collaboration to support more locations.”
Convoy’s vital aid program covers transportation of food, medical supplies, clothing and cleaning supplies to any donation facility in need. This effort leverages the scale and reliability of Convoy’s core business, moving millions of truckloads of goods across the country for businesses of all sizes. Businesses can email [email protected] to coordinate a donation.
The Trucker News Staff produces engaging content for not only TheTrucker.com, but also The Trucker Newspaper, which has been serving the trucking industry for more than 30 years. With a focus on drivers, the Trucker News Staff aims to provide relevant, objective content pertaining to the trucking segment of the transportation industry. The Trucker News Staff is based in Little Rock, Arkansas.
