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Dairy at the heart of the holiday season


Twinkling lights, joyful melodies, and the fragrant aroma of Christmas cookies fresh from the oven—crisp winter days are no match for the warmth of the holiday season. It’s the time of year when families gather, kitchens bustle, and food becomes the language of love and caring around the world.

As a Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board (WMMB) director, and dairy producer, consuming and promoting dairy products is a daily event for me. But even more so during the holidays, for a few reasons.

First, what would holiday candy and sugar cookies be without butter? Or any cookie without milk? Not nearly as delicious, of course. Baking and cooking with butter and other dairy products creates a flavor that can’t be found using anything else.

WMMB does a great job at reaching out to the public to share thousands of dairy-based recipes, cooking and entertaining ideas, and dairy product education. We offer online and printed collections, as well as eight popular consumer websites*, each one geared to specific types of dairy products or ways to use them. Our online holiday recipe collection alone has more than 200 recipes, from Swiss Cheese Crab Dip to Chocolate Mint Chip Shortbread Cookies, so if you need some inspiration this holiday season check out the searchable collection at www.eatwisconsincheese.com.

In addition to supporting and expanding Wisconsin’s dairy industry by helping market and promote its products, WMMB can even help solve some of your gift-giving dilemmas. Our America’s Dairyland online store offers dozens of items. From custom embroidered clothing, kitchenware and can koozies to baby bibs, sport bags and bottles—you’re sure to find something for almost everyone on your gift list. There are plenty of stocking stuffer options, too; cow-print playing cards, chocolate drinking straws, school supplies, and many other affordable gift items for both kids and adults. You can find all of these and a lot more at www.cheeseanddairygear.com

But most importantly, this time of year reminds us to be thankful for the time we spend with family and friends, and to reach out and help others. As a cancer survivor, I’m deeply grateful for every day. It’s a chance for me to continue making a difference in the world. And one of those ways is by participating in the Great American Milk Drive.

This yearlong fundraising initiative runs through April 1, 2015 and is supplying much-needed fresh milk to families in need, through food pantries across the nation. An amazing 100 percent of contributions go to the Feeding America® food pantry network and their recipients, to purchase fluid milk. You can even make sure your donation stays within the community, by supplying your zip code when donating.

Plus, if you’re a bit cash-strapped this month, the Great American Milk Drive is also running a holiday promotion where you can donate milk at no cost until December 31—with just a couple clicks on your computer. Simply visit milklife.com/give/holiday to enjoy their animated holiday video, then “share” it on your Facebook page by clicking the Facebook icon at the top of the video window. It’s easy, free and will help a family in need get the high-quality nutrition of fresh milk. After all, sharing the benefits of dairy is the reason we dairy producers and the WMMB are here.

So here’s wishing you and yours a joyous Christmas season—and a very happy, healthy new year!

*Visit www.wisconsinmilkmarketingboard.com to see all of our websites.

Note: The “WMMB Link” is a monthly column authored by a dairy farmer/Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board member, designed to inform dairy producers about WMMB activities. This month’s column features Mary Cook, WMMB District 15 director,  Ridge-Vu Dairy, Wilton, Wis.

 


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