Area food banks getting milk products

GREEN BAY - Food banks are scrambling to save dozens of truckloads of milk products left behind when a Waukesha dairy closed its doors last week.

Golden Guernsey shut down without notice, and now, one group is trying to save the stock before it spoils.

Thousands of gallons of milk are ready to be shipped. Workers from Milwaukee's Hunger Task Force rescued the cartons.

A trustee for Golden Guernsey gave the go-ahead for workers to retrieve an estimated 50 truckloads milk and related products from the facility.

“We got out there, discovered that the milk has got some good dates, January 21, January 22, and out there, which means it's going to be good through the end of January,” said Sherrie Tussler, Hunger Task Force director. 

The milk is slated to go to food banks in the Milwaukee area and here in Northeast Wisconsin.

NEWCAP is a community action program based in Oconto. Its pantry director will deliver the goods.

“I want the whole thing to be distributed by tomorrow,” said Paul Trepanier, NEWCAP food pantry specialist. “There's a ten day good shelf life on it yet. And I want it to get to the places so they can have the ten days to deal with it.”

Three pallets will fill a cooler at the Salvation Army of Brown County, and provide an item rarely found on the daily lunch service menu.

“We often don't have fresh milk to be able to hand out. So that would really be a treat for our families and individuals that come to our pantry,” said Nan Pahl, the director of social services for the Salvation Army of Brown County.

Deliveries are also expected in Shawano, Wausau and parts of western Wisconsin.

“We're pretty excited about being able to distribute that to hungry people here in Milwaukee as well as the state,” said Tussler.

“It's there; we have a window of opportunity. We have households and families in need. How can we come together to get it to those who need it,” said Pahl.

The Hunger Task Force operates out of Milwaukee and La Crosse. NEWCAP is located in Oconto and serves ten counties in Northeast Wisconsin.