To celebrate a new dairy partnership, the Rams Against Hunger Food Pantry is hosting a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Monday, Jan. 23, at 2 p.m. The RAH Food Pantry is located on the first floor of the General Services Building at CSU.
Colorado State University’s Rams Against Hunger Food Pantry — an innovative program to address financial stress and food insecurity on campus — is celebrating the addition of a new dairy product partnership.
Morning Fresh Dairy and Dairy MAX have partnered to provide the Rams Against Hunger Food Pantry with 200 gallons of milk and a commercial-grade refrigerator to house the pantry’s dairy products. To commemorate the collaboration, there will be a ribbon-cutting on Monday, Jan. 23, at 2 p.m. at the RAH Food Pantry located on the first floor of the General Services Building at CSU.
According to organizers, the RAH Food Pantry offers a true grocery-shopping experience for students and faculty, with a well-equipped walk-in freezer, spacious aisles, a wide selection of frozen foods, fresh produce, milk, eggs and dry and shelf-stable products.
“Partnering with Dairy MAX and local Colorado dairy farm Morning Fresh Dairy allows the RAH Food Pantry to continue providing nutritious dairy products,” said Michael Buttram, basic needs program manager at CSU.
Founded more than 40 years ago, Dairy MAX is one of the leading regional U.S. dairy councils – representing more than 900 dairy farmers and serving communities in eight states, including Colorado.
Morning Fresh is a fifth-generation dairy farm located in in Bellvue, Colorado. Owned and operated by the Graves family since 1894, the farm grows its own feed, cares for and milks its own cows, bottles their milk and delivers to homes and businesses in the Northern Colorado area.
Rams Against Hunger
Operating from The Office of Student Leadership, Involvement and Community Engagement (SLiCE), Rams Against Hunger offers a menu of services that support students, faculty and staff experiencing food insecurity.
A university survey taken during the 2019-20 academic year revealed 29% of students faced some level of food insecurity. RAH was created to mitigate this issue and support students, faculty and staff.
In addition to the food pantry, RAH offers a meal-swipe program, pocket pantries and in-person assistance with navigating federal aid eligibility. This multi-pronged approach acknowledges the broad scope of the issue and seeks to normalize this difficult conversation for the individuals affected, as well as for the institution as a whole, Buttram said.
