"Milk for Good" campaign receives pledge of support from Farm Credit

Farm Credit of the Virginias (FCV), a lending cooperative that serves Virginia, West Virginia and western Maryland, pledged a recent donation to support WVTF (public radio) & Radio IQ's fundraising efforts this fall for the Federation of Virginia Foodbanks' “Milk for Good” program. 

The public radio station organized a fall fund drive which kicks off September 20, 2024, to support the Federation of Virginia Foodbanks' “Milk for Good” program which provides milk to families in need across the Commonwealth, while benefiting local dairy farmers. FCV will match WVTF listeners’ contributions to the “Milk for Good” program up to $5,000, which will double the number of servings of milk that Virginia food banks will receive, compared to previous campaigns. 

Photo credit: Romero Fa (Pexels)

Farm Credit of the Virginias is a long-standing ally of the "Milk for Good" campaign. The program was incepted in 2019 to provide patrons of Virginia food banks with access to milk and the calcium, protein, vitamin D and other valuable nutrients it contains, while supporting Virginia dairy farmers. Representing Virginia’s first dairy purchase program for food banks, the "Milk for Good" program was funded initially by a $50,000 grant provided by Farm Credit of the Virginias, Horizon Farm Credit and Colonial Farm Credit.

“We are deeply grateful to Farm Credit for their matching gift to the Virginia Food Banks,” said WVTF Chief Advancement Officer Renai Bodley. “Their generosity will hopefully inspire public radio listeners to donate in order to help two great causes at the same time – public radio and Virginia Food Banks.”

“At a time when food insecurity is on the rise and families continue to struggle with prices at the grocery store, we need all the support we can get,” said Eddie Oliver, Executive Director of the Federation of Virginia Food Banks. “We are so grateful for our long-standing partners at Farm Credit of the Virginias and WVTF & Radio IQ who recognize the benefits of putting more fresh, local milk into the homes of hungry families.”

Roger Duvall, WVTF & Radio IQ General Manager, added, “WVTF & Radio IQ depend on listeners’ donations to stay on the air. Without that support, we would not be able to provide national and international news from NPR and the BBC in addition to our award-winning local news team. Now, more than ever, it is crucial that citizens have a trusted, factual source of news and information. We hope the matching gift from Farm Credit of the Virginias will motivate our audience to give and support these vital services.”

Farm Credit of the Virginias’ CEO, Brad Cornelius, said, “Our support of agriculture and our rural communities goes beyond the financial services we offer. We are proud to lend added support to our customer-owners through our commitment to giving back and strengthening the communities they call home. It is an honor to help advance WVTF’s efforts to provide Virginia food banks with fresh milk from Virginia dairy farmers.”