The MSU Student Food Bank now has 140 blocks of fresh cheese to give to students in need, thanks to a $2,500 donation of milk from the Michigan Milk Producers Association, or MMPA, processed into cheese by the MSU Dairy Store and delivered Wednesday.
The delivery was the second from the MSU Dairy Store in the last two weeks. The 17,000 pounds of milk donated by the MMPA was converted into 800 two-pound blocks by employees and student workers, Dairy Plant manager John Engstrom said.
Another delivery is expected to be made in two weeks. Engstrom said the Dairy Store typically does not do this kind of work but wanted to get involved because the Food Bank serves MSU students.
“I personally believe in what the food bank does,” Engstrom said. “I like the fact that it’s there to help the students, so we want to be a part of it.”
The cheese will make “a big difference” to the students who rely on the food bank, food bank director Kristin Moretto said. About 520 students per month utilize its services, she said.
“A lot of them say they don’t know how they’d make it through school without it,” Moretto said.
The donated cheese is a fresh, nutritional food to offer to students, which sometimes is difficult to provide, she said. Students were excited to see the cheese available after the first donation, Moretto said.
“We’re excited about it too,” she said. “How exciting, to have actual MSU Dairy Store cheese.”
Sheila Burkhardt, director of member relations and public affairs for MMPA, said the milk donation was a way for the organization to support students.
“We just felt it was a wonderful, unique opportunity for us to support two groups of students — those in the food science department, with the experience of making the product, and then those students in need through the food bank,” she said. “It’s kind of like students helping students.”
Food science junior Andy Blank, who was involved in processing the cheese, said it was a good experience to help make the cheese knowing it would benefit students.
“It’s like I get to use the skills that I have to help somebody else, which is awesome,” he said. “It’s taken me a while to learn how to do it, so it’s especially rewarding just to see the work that I put into it help somebody in need out. It’s a great thing.”
The cheese produced by the MSU Dairy Store is among the best available, with a unique flavor, Blank said.
“They’re getting the best of the best as far as cheese goes,” he said.
Engstrom said he would like to see such donations from the dairy store continue in the future.
“What I guess I want (the MSU Food Bank) to know is the Dairy Store is there for them — we want to help them any time we can,” he said. “I think it’s cool there are students making cheese in the Dairy Store and students running the Food Bank.”
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