Fayette County dairy farmer helps arrange 4,860-gallon milk delivery to needy

Fayette County dairy farmer Louie Diamond knew a lot of area families would be short on money during the coronavirus pandemic and with children home from school wanting milk, he decided to lend a helping hand.

This week, the Masontown resident teamed with the American Dairy Association North East and the milk cooperative Dairy Farmers of America to deliver a 4,860-gallon milk donation to the people in the region via the Fayette County Food Bank.

On Tuesday, Diamond was on hand for the delivery of the whole and 2% milk at the food bank in Republic that he helped coordinate. The milk was delivered in tractor trailer from Dean’s Milk, which processed the milk through the Dairy Farmers of America co-op.

“It actually started two weeks ago when I happened to be in Masontown and saw people lined up all the way down the road for a food bank distribution. I saw someone and I asked if there were any dairy products in their boxes and they said no, that it was all dry goods and produce and it got me thinking,” Diamond said.

Diamond knew the local Salvation Army helped coordinate the distribution, and he called Rose Cook at the agency to ask if they would like milk for a future distribution “and she said, ‘We sure would.’”

So, Diamond called the ADA North East and Dairy Farmers of America, who buys milk produced on his farm, and put the wheels in motion for the large milk delivery. Diamond has 170 milking cows on his farm.

“The food bank, Salvation Army and everyone else involved really did a lot more than I did,” Diamond said.

“Louie wasn’t going to have to dump the milk or anything like that. But he basically wanted to help out people in his community knowing that some people may be in need of milk,” said Jean Kummer, communications specialist with the ADA, a dairy farmer-funded association representing more than 10,000 dairy farm families in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and northern Virginia.

“He really is a low-key guy and simply wanted to help out there,” Kummer said.

Diamond, also a member of Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program board and Dairy Farmers of America, worked through the co-op and ADA North East to facilitate the delivery. It will be distributed to local families in Fayette, plus other area food banks out of the Republic location, Kummer said.

“Helping coordinate milk distribution like this benefits families, food banks, farmers and milk processors alike, particularly during this unprecedented quarantine,” said ADA North East CEO Rick Naczi.

“It’s especially meaningful when a dairy farmer like Louie gets involved to help make it possible for local communities to have access to the wholesome, safe products he and his family are dedicated to producing,” Naczi said.

Kummer pointed out that “fortunately the food bank facility in Republic has a refrigeration area large enough to store that large amount of milk.”

ADA North East has also helped coordinate additional other milk donations from Dairy Farmers of America, Kummer said.

On April 10, Philadelphia families received 4,800 gallons of whole and 2% milk through its Share Food Program that distributes food through the city’s network of food banks. In addition, 4,300 gallons were made available to families in Corinth, N.Y., through ADA North East’s work with the Corinth School District and the Saratoga County Health Department.

On Monday, April 13, food rescue facilities City Harvest in Queens, N.Y., and Rolling Harvest in Highstown, N.J., each received 4,860 gallons of milk to distribute to local families.

More information about ADA North East is available by calling 315-472-9143.