MERIDIAN, Ida. — This Saturday, Hullaba-MOO returns to help kick off the "Moo Bucks" campaign for the Idaho Foodbank. The campaign helps close the "milk gap" for Idaho families in need.
Hullaba-MOO celebrates World Milk Day and serves as the official launch for "Moo Bucks." It also celebrates the success of the annual "Cookies from the Heart" campaign the Girl Scouts of Silver Sage, Dairy West and Albertsons stage annually during Girl Scout cookie season. This year alone, "Cookies from the Heart" helped provide 7,000 gallons of milk to those in need.
People can donate "Moo Bucks" at Albertsons checkouts throughout southern and eastern Idaho from June 1st to June 14th. The donations benefit The Idaho Foodbank which purchases and distributes dairy foods to clients and gives them vouchers to redeem for milk.
Hullaba-MOO features games, prizes, dairy-focused classes, the opportunity to take a selfie with Idaho dairy farmers and Josie the Jersey calf, and samples of Idaho dairy foods from Ballard Family Dairy & Cheese, Chobani, and Darigold. It runs from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 1st at Albertsons Market Street on East Fairview Avenue in Meridian. A check presentation for the "Cookies from the Heart" campaign will be held at 12:30 p.m.
One in seven Americans relies on food banks for nutritional assistance. Here at home in one of the top agricultural-producing states in the country, more than 210,000 Idahoans -- including nearly 70,000 children -- are food insecure. Food pantries report milk is one of the most requested items, but on average the people they serve receive the equivalent of less than 1 gallon per person per year. Meanwhile, milk is a unique and great choice for individuals struggling with hunger, because it's a nutritional powerhouse, provides eight grams of protein, and nine essential nutrients, including three of the top nutrients commonly missing in the American diet.
