Aurora Organic Dairy Announces Partnership with Weld Food Bank to Provide Regular Donations

BOULDER, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aurora Organic Dairy, a leading U.S. provider of high-quality private-label organic milk and butter, today announced a partnership with the Weld Food Bank whereby the Aurora Organic Dairy Foundation will fund regular donations of organic milk and ground beef to help feed the hungry in Weld County.

Aurora Organic Dairy kicked off the partnership this week with a donation of approximately 600 lbs. of ground beef. Local beef processor Northern Beef donated the processing of the product. Additionally, Aurora Organic Dairy will begin making regular donations of its high-quality organic milk to the Weld Food Bank from its processing plant in Platteville, Colo. In addition to the plant, Aurora Organic Dairy operates three organic dairy farms in Weld County.

“This donation couldn’t have come at a more important time for us,” said Karyl Pierpont, Resource Development Director for the Weld Food Bank. “With school just getting out for the summer, we worry about the children who depend on the free and reduced school lunch programs at their schools. These children are at risk of hunger for the next several months, and a donation like this will go a long way in helping them.”

“Over 39 percent of Weld County’s children live below the poverty line. That’s four times the Colorado state average. Aurora Organic’s donation is especially timely when you look at today’s increasing costs for food and fuel,” said Pierpont.

During an economic downturn, food banks often receive fewer donations and, therefore, have less to give to their member organizations. This is compounded by the increased need for donations in the aftermath of the tornadoes that touched down in Northern Colorado last week.

“Weld County has been part of the success of our company since coming to the area in 1980, and we wanted to give back to the communities where we live and work,” said Marc Peperzak, CEO of Aurora Organic Dairy. “We know that protein-rich foods like beef and milk are hard to come by and we are happy to be able to share the fruits of our labor with the people who need it the most.”

About Weld Food Bank

Weld Food Bank’s mission is to lead and engage the community in the fight against hunger. A member of America’s Second Harvest – the Nation’s largest Food Network – WFB is a fully functional warehouse and distribution center for food to be collected, stored, and processed for distribution to 116 other area non-profit agencies as well as through direct service programs such as Kid’s Café, the Backpack Program, USDA’s Commodities Program, and Emergency Food Boxes for those in crisis. Last FY, WFB distributed more than 5.7 million pounds of food within Weld County.

About Aurora Organic Dairy

Aurora Organic Dairy’s mission is making high-quality organic milk and butter more affordable and available for American families. The company is a leading producer of private-label and store-brand organic milk and butter. The organic production company includes headquarters offices in Boulder, Colo., five organic dairy farms in Colorado and Texas, and an on-farm organic dairy processing plant near Platteville, Colo. For more information, visit www.auroraorganic.com.