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Starting last Thursday, the Milk From the Heart will make a weekly stop on Wadsworth Avenue near W. 176th Street to distribute hundreds of quarts of free milk to local families with children. PHOTO: Gloria Pazmiño
The first day of a new free milk distribution in Washington Heights attracted about 100 families to the corner of W. 176th Street and Wadsworth Avenue outside the offices of Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation (NMIC) on Thu., April 7.
Working in collaboration with the organization Homes for the Homeless, the “Milk from the Heart Program” van distributed two quarts of 1-percent milk to families with children in Northern Manhattan. Thanks to funding from real estate developer and private donor Leonard Stern, the “Milk from the Heart Program” will return every Thursday at 9 a.m. for the next several months.
Participants were not required to show any documentation, but were asked about the exact number of children living in the household, including grandkids, nieces and nephews, and other relatives.
“We are thrilled to be part of this great program,” said Maria Lizardo, NMIC’s deputy director of client services. “Our community is in dire need of it, and we're happy to be providing this for them. We hope more people hear about it and it continues to grow.”
Jonah Nelson, project coordinator for the Milk from the Heart Program, said that families are often forced to choose what type of beverage to spend money on, milk or sugary drinks that are often cheaper. “We don’t want families to have to make that choice, so we are providing them with the milk that some maybe cannot afford,” she said.
According to research done by the program, milk and other dairy foods provide more nutrition with fewer calories than other foods, and children who drink milk at breakfast often score higher on tests, have better attendance in school, and participate more in class.
Joanna, mother of three-year-old Virgilio, said she was happy about the program. “This is going to be very helpful,” she said. “This is one less expense we will have to worry about.”
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