How to use the Toolkit?

Welcome to the Dairy Nourishes America Toolkit!

We hope that you find the information you need to start or expand a dairy program for people facing food insecurity in your area.

Not sure where to start?

We’ve curated a selection of key resources to begin your journey in increasing access to dairy for food bank clients. While all sections are open to all, there are specific sections you might want to go to first depending on whether you work in a food bank/food pantry or a dairy community member.

Food Bank/Food Pantry

If you work for a food bank/food pantry, this Toolkit has a lot to offer. Let’s start with some basics:

We all know dairy is a vital part of a healthful diet, but how much do you know about the specifics? Go straight to the Why Dairy? section of the Toolkit for resources about dairy’s nutrition. Read and learn how nutritious dairy products like milk, cheese, and yogurt provide important nutrients for people of all ages and stages of life.
You might use this information to build the case for funding your dairy program by identifying a target audience that a funder is willing to support to get dairy to that audience. For example, a child-health focused foundation might be interested in funding a dairy program for young children and their families.
If you need help on how to handle dairy, just go to the section Working with Dairy and find the Dairy Handling Guide for everything you need to know about how to safely and easily handle dairy foods from your source to distribution to your clients.

Dairy Community

If you work in the dairy community – a dairy processing plant, a dairy cooperative, dairy supplier – this Toolkit has much to offer. Let’s start with some basics:

How do you find local food banks to reach out to about the opportunities to provide dairy? Go to the Building Partnerships and Best Practices section of the Toolkit to find the map of local food banks. You can also identify food insecurity rates in your territory using this tool.
While still in the Building Partnerships and Best Practices section, you will also find a number of existing business models that are working for food banks to provide dairy to their clients. Check them out and see if one of them interests you and start to work with a food bank to provide dairy on a consistent basis.