Fill a Glass with Hope® Charitable Milk Program Celebrates Historic 2026 Program Year and Record-Breaking Donations at PA Farm Show
HARRISBURG, Pa., Jan. 09, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today at the PA Farm Show, leaders marked the eleventh anniversary of the Fill a Glass with Hope® charitable milk distribution program by celebrating record-breaking donations of over $205,000 made possible by the generous sponsors of the 2026 campaign kickoff. Farm Show attendees can support Fill a Glass with Hope all week long by visiting the PA Dairymen’s Association milkshake booths.
A Media Snippet accompanying this announcement is available by clicking on this link.
Joining Feeding Pennsylvania to announce the launch were supporters: Two-time Super Bowl Champion and former NFL quarterback (Pittsburgh Steelers) Charlie Batch; Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding; Feeding Pennsylvania CEO Julie Bancroft; PA Dairymen’s Association Executive Director Dave Smith; Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program (PDPP) Farmer Jim Biddle and American Dairy Association North East (ADANE) CEO John Chrisman. Other key participants included PA Dairy Princess Royalty, state, business and government leaders, sponsors, dairy industry leaders, and Feeding Pennsylvania member food bank representatives and leaders.
Food insecurity is at an all-time high and affects neighbors in every county in the Commonwealth. In the last two years, the number of people experiencing foo insecurity in Pennsylvania has increased by over 40%. In fact, more than 1.7 million Pennsylvanians, including 475,000 children, experience food insecurity. Together, Feeding Pennsylvania’s nine partner food banks distribute more than 237 million pounds of food through a network of over 2,750 pantries and agencies. Since 2015, Feeding Pennsylvania’s member food banks will have been able to distribute over 42.6 million servings of fresh, locally produced milk to Pennsylvanians facing hunger.
“We’re thrilled to once again come together with our partners and sponsors to amplify the impact of the Fill a Glass with Hope campaign,” said Julie Bancroft, CEO, Feeding Pennsylvania. “This collective effort helps ensure that one of the most requested and nutritious staples—fresh, fluid milk—reaches more individuals, children and families experiencing hunger across the state.”
Pennsylvania Secretary of Agriculture Russell Redding thanked the vital partners who are working to make sure milk is accessible to all families in the Commonwealth. “Even in a time of uncertainty, one thing that should be certain for every Pennsylvania family is that there will be food on their tables,” Pennsylvania Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said. “The Shapiro Administration is working diligently for food security in every Pennsylvania household and economic security in every community. With strong, committed partners in Feeding Pennsylvania, the American Dairy Association North East and the Pennsylvania Dairyman’s Association we are all pulling in the same direction. Fill a Glass with Hope unites public and private generosity toward reaching that shared goal of a Pennsylvania where no one goes hungry.”
Fill a Glass with Hope was first launched in 2015 through a partnership of local dairy farmers, the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank, PA Dairymen’s Association and American Dairy Association North East. Once Feeding Pennsylvania joined the program as a partner, it evolved into the country's first-ever statewide charitable milk distribution program, supplying more than 42.6 million servings of milk to Pennsylvanians facing hunger since the program’s inception.
The funds announced today will launch this year’s campaign with sponsorships totaling over $205,000 (sponsors listed below). These funds include generous $25,000 gifts from Fill a Glass with Hope’s 2026 Supreme Champion Sponsors: Columbia Gas and NiSource Foundation, Coterra Energy, the First Energy Foundation and Weis Markets. In addition to these sponsorships, Weis Markets and partners donated $50,000 to Fill a Glass with Hope in recognition of National Dairy Month in June 2025, and the PA Dairy Princess and Promotion Services, Inc. (PDPPS) and County Committees raised over $22,000 for the charitable cause throughout 2025.
Charlie Batch, two-time Super Bowl Champion and Former NFL quarterback (Pittsburgh Steelers) said, “Last year was our tenth year of Fill a Glass with Hope — that’s a powerful testament to the heart and impact of this program. For more than a decade, we have helped deliver fresh milk to families who need it most, and I couldn’t be prouder of the founders, the sponsors and to all the individuals who have donated to make it possible. Their continued commitment shows how much this mission matters—and because of all of them, children and families can count on the nutrition they need to grow, learn, and thrive.”
Dave Smith, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Dairymen’s Association and an original Fill a Glass with Hope partner, expressed his gratitude to dairy farmers, sponsors, food banks and community leaders for keeping hunger prevention and access to fresh milk at the forefront.
“With hunger at an all-time high and families struggling to afford food while covering essential expenses, I am incredibly proud of the remarkable impact our dairy farmers and our partners are making to help Pennsylvanians put food on the table,” said PA Dairymen’s Association Executive Director Dave Smith. “Together, we are ensuring that Fill a Glass with Hope provides critically needed, nutritious fresh milk to food banks and pantries serving neighbors in every corner of the Commonwealth. We must continue to give back and stand with families, especially hungry children, who are facing food insecurity every day. My hope is that Farm Show attendees will join us by supporting this effort and helping us provide wholesome dairy products like milk to those in need through donations at our milkshake booths or online.”
“As a dairy farmer, producing milk is about more than what happens on our farm—it’s about the families we help nourish every day,” said Jim Biddle, Pennsylvania dairy farmer and member of the Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program Board. “Programs like Fill a Glass with Hope allow us to turn the care we give our cows and land into care for our communities, ensuring that families across Pennsylvania have access to the fresh, nutritious milk they deserve.”
After the milkshake toast, celebrity milkshake servers from the media welcomed Farm Show visitors as they sampled farm-fresh foods and beverages featured at the 2026 show. Learn more and support Fill a Glass with Hope by visiting the PA Dairymen’s Association milkshake booths at the PA Farm Show or donating online at feedingpa.org/milk.
Supreme Champion Sponsor Speakers:
Columbia Gas and the NiSource Foundation
Coterra Energy
First Energy Foundation
Weis Markets
Additional Fill A Glass with Hope 2026 Sponsors:
ABARTA Coca-Cola Beverages, LLC and Fairlife
Fulton Bank
GIANT Company
Horizon Farm Credit
Land O’Lakes Foundation
Modjeski and Masters, Inc.
PA Dairy Princess and Promotion Services, Inc.
PA Dairymen’s Association
PA Farm Bureau
PSECU
Swiss Premium Dairy
Turner Dairy Farms
Hunger in Pennsylvania:
One in six children in Pennsylvania face hunger.
One in eight adults in Pennsylvania face hunger.
Over 1.7 million people in Pennsylvania identify as food insecure.
Milk is one of the most requested items at food banks and pantries due to its high nutritional value, but it is rarely donated.
About American Dairy Association North East (ADANE)
American Dairy Association North East (ADANE) is the local affiliate of the National Dairy Council® and the regional consolidation of three promotion organizations including the American Dairy Association and Dairy Council, Inc., Mid-Atlantic Dairy Association and Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program. Committed to nutrition education and research-based communications, ADANE provides science-based nutrition information to, and in collaboration with, a variety of stakeholders committed to fostering a healthier nation, including health professionals, educators, school nutrition directors, academia, industry, consumers and media. Funded by dairy checkoff dollars from more than 8,300 dairy farm families in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, and northern Virginia, ADANE works closely with Dairy Management Inc.™ to bring a fully integrated promotion program to the North East region. For more information, visit AmericanDairy.com.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Lauren Duff, lduff@feedingpa.org
717-257-9855
Lucy Gnazzo, Lucy@GnazzoPromotions.com
717-979-0692
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