Weis Markets Partners with PA Dairymen’s Association, Feeding Pennsylvania and American Dairy Association North East to Celebrate World Milk Day

Kickoff event marks the beginning of month-long in-store fundraising campaign to support Pennsylvanians facing hunger

Selinsgrove, PA (June 2, 2025) – To mark World Milk Day and kick off National Dairy Month, Weis Markets teamed up with the PA Dairymen’s Association, Feeding Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program, and American Dairy Association North East for a celebration at its Selinsgrove, PA store—spotlighting the importance of dairy in local communities and launching the 10^th annual Fill A Glass With Hope^® campaign.

As part of the festivities, Weis Markets donated $5,000 in fresh milk to the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, supporting its Harrisburg and Williamsport locations. Vendor partners, including Kraft, General Mills, Lactalis American Group, Chobani, Danone, and Flora-Upfield, also joined the cause, contributing $55,000 to kick off the campaign and help provide milk to families in need. Customers, associates, and guests were treated to a visit from the PA Dairymen’s “Milkshakes On The Moo-ve” truck, adding a sweet finish to a meaningful day.

Throughout the month of June, Weis Markets customers in Pennsylvania can join in the movement to end hunger by rounding up their grocery payments at checkout. Donations to the Fill a Glass with Hope campaign will be distributed to the following local food banks to purchase fresh milk from local producers: Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, Helping Harvest Fresh Food Bank, Philabundance, Second Harvest Food Bank of the Lehigh Valley and Northeast Pennsylvania, and the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Northeast Regional Food Bank.  

“Weis Markets is committed to supporting our local communities, and fighting food insecurity is critical to this vision,” said Maria Rizzo, Weis Markets Vice President of Marketing and Advertising. “As a local company, we take great pride in partnering with neighboring organizations to ensure our local community members have access to fresh, nutritious milk. We’re so thankful for the incredible partners and customers who help make our Fill a Glass with Hope campaign possible. Together, we’re making sure families in our communities have access to the food they need.”

The event featured special appearances from two-time Super Bowl Champion and former NFL quarterback (Pittsburgh Steelers) Charlie Batch; Pennsylvania Deputy Secretary for Animal Health and Food Safety Lisa Graybeal; Pennsylvania Dairy Royalty; local dairy farmer Dana Zug, of Zugstead Farm in Mifflintown, PA; Executive Director of PA Dairymen’s Association, Dave Smith; representatives from Kraft, General Mills, Lactalis American Group, Chobani, Danone, and Flora-Upfield; and representatives from Feeding Pennsylvania.  

“Our dairy farmers are dedicated to providing fresh milk to our neighbors in need and are proud to support Fill A Glass With Hope with our partners and food banks,” said Dave Smith, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Dairymen’s Association. “We are grateful to Weis Markets for their Dairy Month Campaign and for their leadership to help us make sure all Pennsylvanians have access to delicious and nutritious milk.”

“The dairy farmers I represent care deeply about ensuring that all families have access to fresh milk and dairy products, which is why we started Fill a Glass with Hope more than ten years ago,” said John Chrisman, CEO, American Dairy Association North East. “Weis Markets has been instrumental in the program’s success. Because of their support, we’ve been able to provide 47 million servings of milk to people in need.”

“Access to fresh, local milk through initiatives like Fill a Glass with Hope is a game-changer for families facing hunger, providing vital nutrition that truly transforms lives,” said Lauren Duff, Chief Public Affairs Officer at Feeding Pennsylvania. “We are grateful to our dedicated partners and sponsors whose generosity makes it possible to deliver Pennsylvania-produced milk to our charitable food system. This critical support isn’t just about feeding our neighbors; it’s a powerful investment in local agriculture, strengthening our economies while ensuring every Pennsylvanian has access to wholesome food.”

Milk is one of the most requested items at food banks but one of the least donated due to perishability. Without milk, it is difficult to get the recommended essential nutrients for a healthy diet, especially for children. Milk is the top source of calcium, potassium, and Vitamin D in the American diet—nutrients critical to development and growth in children.

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About Weis Markets

Founded in 1912, Weis Markets, Inc. is a Mid Atlantic food retailer operating 198 stores in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Virginia and West Virginia. For more information, please visit: WeisMarkets.com or Facebook.com/WeisMarkets

About Pennsylvania Dairymen’s Association  

The Pennsylvania Dairymen’s Association is the oldest dairy group in Pennsylvania. They have been serving their popular milkshakes at the PA Farm Show since 1953 and spreading milkshake smiles throughout communities for over 72 years. Every Dairymen’s Milkshake supports a great cause. The Pennsylvania Dairymen’s Association has been supporting Fill a Glass with Hope^® with agriculture partners, Feeding PA, American Dairy Association North East, corporate partners and food banks since 2015. Over the past ten years, the PA Dairymen have donated more than $5 million to programs including The Calving Corner; agricultural and educational projects; initiatives and scholarships; the Fill A Glass with Hope fresh milk campaign for neighbors in need; the Choose PA Dairy consumer education and awareness campaign; the PA Farm Bureau Mobile Ag Education Lab that travels to schools; the PA Dairy Princess and Promotion Program; FFA; community and school programs; Friends of Agriculture Foundation projects, and much more. Their philanthropic efforts build a brighter future for all Pennsylvanians. For more information, visit padairymens.com.

About Feeding Pennsylvania

Feeding Pennsylvania is the statewide membership association of nine Feeding America-affiliated food banks. Serving Pennsylvanians throughout all sixty-seven counties in the Commonwealth, Feeding Pennsylvania member food banks distribute more than 237 million pounds of food to almost 3,000 agencies and food pantries. Feeding Pennsylvania also acts as a collective voice to raise awareness of the impact of hunger and food insecurity in the state and advocates for policies that improve access to nutritious food, ensuring that no Pennsylvanian goes hungry. For more information about Feeding Pennsylvania, please visit feedingpa.org.

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.

About Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program (PDPP)

Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program is the farmer-directed organization funded by participating dairy farmers to build demand and sales for milk and dairy foods throughout Pennsylvania. Managed by American Dairy Association North East, Pennsylvania Dairy Promotion Program develops and implements local programs to drive milk and dairy sales at retail outlets and in schools. The organizations also conduct consumer education about dairy through events, traditional and social media, and in collaboration with health professionals through National Dairy Council^®. For more information, visit www.americandairy.com/pennsylvania-dairy-promotion-program/ or call 315.472.9143.