Curds + Kindness is an initiative created by Dairy West redistribute surplus diary to people at risk of hunger across Utah and Idaho. As part of June, National Dairy Month, Dairy West is celebrating frontline workers by distributing grilled cheese sandwiches and cheese curds.
Diary West usually celebrates national Dairy month with on-farm events such as open houses. This year is a little different. In order to ensure public safety, Dairy West transitioned to virtual tours and grilled cheese distribution.
Kristi Spence, the senior vice president of marketing for Dairy West, said the initiative was created to help redistribute milk that would otherwise be disposed of.
“The curds and kindness food truck is operating for the entire month of June," said Spence. "From June 1 to June 26 throughout the region, primarily across the Wasatch Front in Utah and then in the Twin Falls in Boise area up in Idaho, and we are stopping at healthcare facilities, some manufacturing plant plants like Gossner's. We're also stopping at fire stations, police stations and other places where essential workers have been instrumental in keeping our communities going”
Since the beginning of this program, Dairy West has been able to donate over 850,000 pounds of product to help feed people.
Utah’s Own, a state funded program by the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, has partnered with Dairy West by helping connect them with donated or at-cost goods from Utah’s Own member companies.
Utah Department of Agriculture and Food Commissioner Logan Wilde helped out at some of the events in Utah
“I just really appreciate those. I mean, it's really touching to me that people will give their product away so that we can help feed those that are in here in the state of Utah,” said Wilde
For more information on Curds + Kindness go to www.dairywest.com/2020/05/04/curds-kindness-program-feeds-hungry-with-surplus-dairy-products/
