FAQs

What is the Dairy Nourishes America: Feeding America’s Eastern Symposium? 

The symposium will be held in Rochester, NY from April 30 – May 1, 2024, with an optional tour and welcome reception on April 29. This unique event brings champions across the value chain together to build relationships and create solutions that increase our neighbors’ access to the protein and nutrients provided by dairy products. 

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What are the objectives for this event? 

This event is intended to create partnerships that positively impact communities through dairy nutrition. At this event, stakeholders from food banks and the dairy industry will come together to actively discuss challenges related to fresh dairy in food banks and build solutions to take action and make a difference for their neighbors back home.  

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Where and when will the event be held? 

The event will be held in Rochester, NY from April 29 – May 1. Additional details will be posted shortly, so please stay tuned!

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Who should attend? 

Action-oriented food bank staff and dairy community members seeking connections to source more nutritious foods for their communities. This includes decision makers and staff members committed to building partnerships and taking action after the event in your community. If you need assistance selecting a representative from your organization to attend, feel free to reach out to our team and we can help! 

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How do I register for the event? 

Registration for the event is now closed. If you are interested in this or future symposia, please contact

DairyNourishesAmerica@customed.org.

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What does the agenda look like for this event? 

April 30: Learn and Connect 

This day will focus on content sessions and discovery, where attendees dive into common issues and explore potential solutions regarding increasing our neighbors’ access to the protein and nutrients provided by dairy products. Subject matter experts are joining us to help create meaningful action along the way. 

 

May 1: Build and Inspire 

Participants will be organized into teams, where you will dive into solutions and build plans for future activations. All will leave this session with a concrete action plan to increase nutrition served in your communities.  

 

OPTIONAL: April 29 Tour and Welcome Reception 

We will be offering optional tours to either a local dairy farm or a local food bank (attendees will choose their preference closer to the event), plus a welcome reception for anyone who checks in for the event on this day. 

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Are lodging and meals provided? 

We will have a hotel block with discounted rates for attendees, which will be provided via email once registration is complete. All attendees are responsible for booking their own travel and hotel rooms. The following meals will be provided as part of the event; attendees should plan to make their own accommodations outside of what is listed below. 

• April 29 (this day is optional): Snacks will be available on tour buses. We are hosting an optional welcome reception on the evening of the 12th with drinks and hors d’oeuvres for those who wish to check in and start networking early. You do not have to attend a tour to join us for the welcome reception. 

• April 30: Breakfast, lunch, and social hour, with light bites in the evening are included. 

• May 1: Breakfast is provided, with to-go lunch boxes available for travel. 

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Is there a cost to attend this event? 

Non-Feeding America bank members will be required to pay a registration fee which covers event, meals, and necessary transportation costs. This can be paid via credit card at the time of registration, or by check when you reach out to DairyNourisesAmerica@CustomED.org.  

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Additional details on costs will be available when registration opens.

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What do I need to prepare for this event?  

The best thing you can do is come ready to build connections and take action! This will be a highly engaging conference with many opportunities to create action plans to make a difference back in your community.   

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Be sure to check your email in advance of the Symposium for communications from our event team, who will be asking some pre-event questions and will keep you updated on all the latest news. Be sure to add DairyNourishesAmerica@CustomED.org to your safe senders list so you don’t miss any updates. 

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What are the health and safety protocols? 

We stay abreast of CDC guidance to support the health and wellbeing of all attendees. At this time, attendees will not be required to wear a mask, submit a COVID-19 negative test result or proof of vaccination, or complete a daily health pre-screening questionnaire. While masking is optional, Feeding America supports attendees who choose to wear a mask for the protection of themselves and others. Masks and rapid antigen tests will be available onsite for the convenience of attendees. Anyone who is not feeling well is asked to refrain from attending any conference sessions, events, or activities even if they are vaccinated against COVID-19 and/or have received a negative test result. Protocol is subject to change according to current CDC guidelines. We will monitor CDC guidance up until the start of the conference, and we will inform attendees promptly if changes to the health and safety protocols will be activated. 

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If I am not in the east, should I attend this event?  

​This event will be focused on taking action in eastern food banks and may address challenges unique to this region. If you are hoping to attend but are not in the east, reach out to Dairy@FeedingAmerica.org to find out the best course of action for you. 

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How can I sponsor this event? 

If your organization is interested in supporting the event, check out our opportunities for sponsorship. You can also reach out directly to Jerod Matthews at jmatthews@feedingamerica.org to discuss further.