Local business Rockingham Cooperative, in partnership with several local community partners, continued its Cheese Ministry for the support of dairy farmers and food pantries across its service area with another order of cheese arriving to the area on Wednesday, July 28.
Rockingham Cooperative, which operates three retail and service locations in the Roanoke Valley, expanded the Cheese Ministry into the area for the first time this year with coordinated pickups scheduled for a combined 2,000 pounds of cheese at Rockingham Cooperative Ace Hardware on Cloverdale Road and Rockingham Cooperative in Franklin County last Wednesday.
“The Cheese Ministry is a valuable program that benefits both the dairy farmers that produce the high-quality dairy products that are turned into the cheese being donated to those less fortunate in our community. I’m excited to see the impact these donations can have in our community, connecting those in need with high-quality, nutrient dense, dairy products,” said Jay Etzler of Troutville, a Rockingham Cooperative board member and Cheese Ministry volunteer.
The Cheese Ministry is an effort originated in 2017 by Rockingham Cooperative, in partnership with Harrisonburg Baptist Church, Verona Food Pantry, and other local community organizations, to support local dairy farmers during a difficult time in the dairy industry as well as supply local food pantries with nutritious cheese products that will provide individuals and families in need with a healthy dairy source. The first order of cheese, delivered in February of 2018, included 10 tons of premium mozzarella and provolone cheese with an estimated retail value of over $233,000. The Cheese Ministry utilizes its purchasing power to buy trailer-load volume of milk to maximize every donor dollar. Cheese was donated to over 40 community organizations across Virginia, West Virginia and North Carolina where the need was greatest. Since the initial donation, over $850,000 in retail value of high-quality cheese has been donated to help feed those less fortunate in communities served by Rockingham.
