Adopt a cow benefits food bank

COLUMBUS, Wis. — The Adopt a Dairy Cow campaign operates with a mission of connecting people with milk and the dairy industry. Efforts between the Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin and Sassy Cow Creamery have helped to distribute more milk to families across southern Wisconsin through this campaign.

Now in its 10th year, the efforts to symbolically adopt a dairy cow began in 2015. This year, the creamery wanted to make an even bigger impact.

“We really wanted to amp it up and raise a lot of money for the Adopt a Dairy Cow campaign,” said Faith Baerwolf, one of the creamery’s summer marketing interns. “With federal cuts and the need from food banks, they’re experiencing some shortages.”

Sassy Cow Creamery is the result of two farms owned and operated by brothers James and Robert Baerwolf and their families. One farm has an organic herd consisting of 250 cows, while the other farm is home to a 600-cow traditional herd. These two farms produce 100% of the milk used at the creamery.

On June 28, Sassy Cow hosted a Day at the Creamery and invited food trucks and organized activities in collaboration with Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin. It drew approximately 500 attendees.

“I liked watching all the kids’ activities,” Baerwolf said. “They were coloring in the grain bin or planting flowers in old milk jugs. We had dairy trivia, and they were learning all about the agriculture industry.”

As part of the campaign, individuals could symbolically adopt a dairy cow during June. In return, they received an adoption certificate and a coupon for a free scoop of ice cream from Sassy Cow Creamery.

“What they’re really doing is donating money to Second Harvest, which we will use to purchase milk to give out to people throughout southwestern Wisconsin who are struggling with hunger,” said Kris Tazelaar, media and public relations manager for Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin.

He said about 40% of the food that the organization distributes is food that the organization purchases. The rest is donations.

Megan and Josh Hood, two event attendees, had just moved to the Madison area that weekend and stopped by for ice cream, only to see the event in action. When Josh was volunteering in Megan’s classroom while teaching in Missouri, a student had said the couple should buy a cow. The couple were smiling after receiving their adoption certificate.

“This feels like a dream come true,” Josh said.

Another family, visiting from Madison, brought their children to learn about farm life. Jessica Strong brought her daughter, Mari Du Bois, along with friends, Alyssa and Naomi O’Dwyer. The kids were thrilled, even mooing back at the calves.

Baerwolf, who had spent months planning activities for families to enjoy, said her goal was to connect the community to agriculture and address the need for milk by people who need it.

“Milk is the least donated item to food pantries,” Baerwolf said. “Milk is so important, especially in Wisconsin, so we really want to make sure that everyone in our community has access to milk.”

Tazelaar also highlighted that need. Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin is a non-profit organization serving 16 counties and partnering with 300 agencies and programs, including food pantries.

“The reality is what we hear from our partner agencies is that they could take even more,” Tazelaar said. “They have even more people walking through their doors and asking for milk. They know it’s a delicious, nutritious product. Who doesn’t like milk?”

While more families are in need, Tazelaar said the organization is also seeing more farmers and agriculturalists stepping up to contribute.

“We’re seeing tremendous growth in the number of people who are coming to our partner agencies looking for support, but we’re also seeing a growth in the number of farmers, the number of people in the ag community who also want to give back,” Tazelaar said.

Nutritious products, like dairy, are a focus for the organization.

“We don’t want to just provide any kind of calories, and that’s why those relationships we’re building with the farmers in the area are so important,” Tazelaar said. 

This year’s campaign raised $115,721 from the general public, with an additional $103,000 in matching sponsor donations. A total of 500 adoption certificates were handed out, with a cow named Flower being the most popular.

Nine cows were given the spotlight, for people to symbolically adopt. Baerwolf was the one who took the pictures and wrote the profiles on the campaign website. Describing Flower, she wrote, “Flower is always on an adventure, exploring greener pastures and taking in all the sights along the way.”

Baerwolf said she started the project by taking photos of lots of cows in the pasture.

“Some are more photogenic than others,” Baerwolf said. “I really wanted to get some good pictures of a variety of cows. We have a variety of breeds on our farm.”

Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin distributes an average of 26,000 gallons of milk per month. The funds raised during June are estimated to support milk purchases for up to three months, Tazelaar said. Milk is purchased at a discounted rate through Prairie Farms Dairy Inc. and Sassy Cow Creamery, with additional shelf-stable milk included in the mix.

“We know we can distribute more,” Tazelaar said.  “That’s why we need to raise more funds and do that through campaigns, just like the Adopt a Dairy Cow campaign.”