SAUK CENTRE, Minn. — In September 2024, milk dispensers were unveiled at the Sauk Centre Public School District. Since then, milk consumption is up, waste is down and sugary beverages are on the decline.
“It’s been a huge game changer for us,” said Don Peschel, superintendent for the Sauk Centre Public School District. “We have seen a noticeable increase in milk consumption. Our kids love it.”
Since the dispensers were implemented, Peschel said he has also noticed a decrease in the number of alternative drinks brought into the school.
“They were bringing in BUBBL’R and Gatorade and all these other types of sports drinks; (and) some were just drinking water,” he said. “Now you see these kids grab a glass of milk.”
On any given day, nearly 700 students in grades 5-12 make their way through the cafeteria for free lunch through Minnesota’s Free School Meals Program. Milk has always been a part of the program, but now it is available through dispensers rather than cartons.
Students can fill their first glass with white or chocolate milk from a pair of dispensers supplied by the school meals program.
Students can get unlimited refills from a third dispenser paid for by cash donations from local dairy farmers and businesses.
“That was huge in getting us kicked off in what we wanted to have accomplished here in regards to providing bulk milk for our students this year,” Peschel said. “We had local farmers step up.”
Before the dispensers were installed, students were allotted one carton with their free meal, but had to pay for additional cartons.
The school goes through 7 bags of milk every day with the free lunch. At the refill dispenser, the district goes through around 23 bags of milk per month, mostly chocolate. Each bag holds 640 ounces of milk.
Tyler Meyer, whose parents, Nick and Tara, milk 270 cows near Sauk Centre, is one of the many students who took advantage of the unlimited milk. He said he enjoys the bulk milk because it is colder and tastes better the cartons.
“I like the free milk, and you can get as much as you want,” Meyer said. “Before, it was one carton. For me, that was not enough.”
Throughout the school year, Meyer noticed the popularity of the dispensers among his friends and classmates.
“They are definitely drinking a lot more than before,” Meyer said.
Peschel said when they were still utilizing cartons, about 80% of students would take one carton and 20% would take two. Now, he said, the donated milk dispenser is always busy with students filling their glasses for a second or third cup of milk.
The milk dispenser project started when local farmers and allied industry approached Peschel about a year ago, asking if getting milk dispensers in the school was a possibility.
From there, Peschel said he gave it serious consideration. He spoke with other schools that had bought dispensers and did research. To help fund the project, the school applied and received a grant through Midwest Dairy. The school also received a grant from the Stearns County American Dairy Association.
The timing of the project was good as the Sauk Centre secondary school had just remodeled its cafeteria before the school year commenced. Peschel said this made the transition easier since they could plan out places for each dispenser to go.
“There have been nothing but positive responses from the students and staff,’ Peschel said. “I have not heard one negative comment, even the concerns about cleaning the glasses.”
Initially, there were also concerns about having an increase in spills due to students carrying an open glass, but those fears quickly subsided.
Another plus to the dispensers has been the decrease in garbage. During lunch, previously there would have been about 5-6 garbage bags full of milk cartons. Now they are throwing away less than half of that amount.
The dispensers have been a positive experience so far for the school, so Peschel said he is excited to bring them back this fall.
“This has been just an amazing opportunity for us and our kids, and again, it goes back to our local people who supported us,” Peschel said.
From a student’s perspective, Meyer is relishing the response from classmates.
“It’s good to see that a lot of people are drinking it and enjoying the milk,” Meyer said.
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