Dairy Companies Volunteer to Clean Up Warner Park in Madison, Donate Cheese to Second Harvest of Southern Wisconsin

MADISON, Wis. — Leaders from dozens of top dairy companies turned out at Madison’s Warner Park on June 24 for an afternoon park cleanup organized by the IDFA Foundation and Wild Warner, an organization created to preserve and maintain Warner Park. The volunteers removed trash, cleared brush, cut back invasive plant species and beautified pedestrian and bicycle trails throughout the park and Duck Pond. Earlier in the day, the IDFA Foundation visited Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin to recognize a donation of 200 cases of American Swiss sliced cheese by Associated Milk Producers Inc. (AMPI), the nation’s largest cheese cooperative owned by families who produce milk on Midwest dairy farms.

The IDFA Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit that seeks to make an important contribution to people and communities on behalf of the U.S. dairy industry by providing grants that reduce hunger, improve environmental sustainability and enhance the welfare of people working in food manufacturing. The Foundation, supported in large part by contributions from U.S. dairy companies, has provided more than 500,000 meals to food insecure people in the U.S. and around the world since 2022.

“The IDFA Foundation is proud to partner with Wild Warner and Dane County Parks, Associated Milk Producers Inc. and Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin to support the greater Madison community,” said Matt Herrick, executive director of the IDFA Foundation. “I am grateful to our volunteers for adding to the natural beauty of Warner Park and to partners and donors for making today’s gifts possible.”

"Warner Park's wild areas provide the community with a chance to relax in a beautiful natural setting, but more importantly, provide habitat for songbirds, pollinating insects, turtles and frogs, and a number of rare plant communities,” said Kathlean Wolf, Wisconsin Master Naturalist volunteer and volunteer coordinator for Wild Warner, Inc. “The work of protecting and restoring these natural areas is ongoing and demands a great many hours from volunteers in the community. This visit from the IDFA Foundation volunteers was an enormous help! Wild Warner and the City of Madison are so grateful for the hard work of the IDFA volunteers. They dug out a significant amount of invasive burdock plants from our old-growth wood, which is a huge help in our restoration projects this year. And their work of planting elderberry bushes and beautiful native wildflowers will be appreciated for many years to come."

Sheryl Meshke, AMPI President and CEO, said, “The dairy farm families and employees of AMPI are dedicated to producing good food with a promise — a shared commitment to care for our land, animals, cooperative and communities. Supporting others is core to co-op culture at AMPI. We are pleased to share our Dinner Bell Creamery award-winning sliced American cheese — made and packaged in Portage, Wis. — with those in the surrounding area.”

Michelle Orge, president and executive director of Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin, added, "Large donations of delicious and nutritious food like this one from AMPI are key to our ability to do our work. It's yet another example in our long history with the local farming community of their generosity and commitment to feeding area families.”

According to Feeding America, more than 617,000 people in the state of Wisconsin and more than 100,000 people in the Madison area struggle with hunger every day. In 2023, Second Harvest of Southern Wisconsin and its partners distributed 19.7 million meals across a 16-county service area. Since 1986, the foodbank has distributed more than 256 million pounds of food in their community. Their programs include a Mobile Food Pantry, FoodShare Outreach, Kids Cafes and other youth and family initiatives, Community Cooks and Health and Wellness initiatives to nurture wellness of communities.