The Great American Milk Drive #MilkDrive #CleverGirls #CG

Did you know that families that depend on Feeding America food banks receive less than 1 gallon of milk per person, per year?  That leaves a lot of families with limited access to milk’s essential nutrients.  Milk provides 8 grams of high-quality protein per serving and three of the top nutrients most likely missing in the American diet – calcium, vitamin D and potassium.  We go through about three gallons of milk a week in our house as I know how beneficial it is, especially for growing kids.  I honestly never thought about how food banks wouldn’t have it.

This holiday season, it is easy to help a hungry family get the milk they need by donating online at www.MilkLife.com/give.  To date, 194,000 gallons have been donated as part of the industry’s ongoing commitment to help families get the nutrients they need from milk.  America’s dairy farmers and milk companies are actually matching all donations made at www.MilkLife.com/give and you can even enter your zip code to ensure milk is delivered to a local food bank in your own community.

In addition to donating financially online, for every share of the Great American Milk Drive video, a one-gallon donation will be made to one of more than 200 food banks served by Feeding America!  So even if you can’t afford to donate your own money, just by sharing the video on your social networks (Facebook, Twitter, Google +, Pinterest or Email) you can help out a family!

For me, I honestly take milk for granted.  Its something we have in our fridge at all times (and I usually have a few extra gallons in our basement refrigerator.)  I make sure my kids drink at least a glass, if not more, a day and feel good knowing they are getting some protein and nutrients even if they snack the rest of the day!  Breakfast is when I usually get my milk as I love cereal and always feel better when I start my day with breakfast, rather than when I skip it.  I try to have my kids have their milk at breakfast time as well as they need a good start for their busy days of school.  Studies show that breakfast eaters have better scores on math, reading and standardized tests, are better able to pay attention and have fewer absences and incidents of tardiness compared to breakfast skippers.  Crazy to think how important breakfast is and how there are so many without the option of having a nutritious breakfast. I explain to my kids how lucky they are that we have milk at all times and how important it is for their little bodies.  One statistic that really surprised me is “An 8 oz. glass of milk provides more protein than an egg.”  To me it is so easy to drink down a glass of milk, even if I have to put some chocolate powder in it for my kids.

Instead of leaving milk for santa, why not give a donation?

We left water for santa:

Did you know how important breakfast is or how milk can really help fuel your day?

Stay Connected with Milk Life:

Milk Life TWITTER | Milk Life FACEBOOK

Don’t forget to check out the Great American Milk Drive to see how you can help!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.