Kicking off the annual Fill a Glass with Hope campaign at the Pennsylvania Farm Show with Farm Show milkshakes from the Pennsylvania Dairymen’s Association were above, from left) Lolly Lescher, Owner-Operator at Way-Har Farms; Julie Bancroft, CEO of Feeding Pennsylvania; Dave Smith, Executive Director of the PA Dairymen’s Association; Charlie Batch, Former Pittsburgh Steelers Quarterback and Two-Time Superbowl Champion; Secretary Russell Redding, Secretary of the PA Department of Agriculture; Nancy Ryan, Fill a Glass with Hope Media Kickoff Event Emcee; and Bill des Rosiers, Manager of External Affairs at Coterra Energy.
(Photos courtesy PA Dept. of Ag.)
Farmers and other ag producers are the lifeblood of the communities in which companies like Coterra Energy work. The Pennsylvania Farm Show, held each January in Harrisburg, provides Coterra and other companies in the Marcellus Shale an opportunity to thank those who work so hard to feed us and provide us with other commodities.
While the official opening day of the 108th PA Farm Show was Jan. 6, the famous Food Court at the PA Farm Show Complex was open to the public for the evening of Jan. 5. PA Agricultural Secretary Russell Redding and representatives of Feeding Pennsylvania, the PA Dairymen’s Association and the American Dairy Association were on hand to kick off the Fill a Glass With Hope campaign with those in attendance joining him in a toast with the Dairymen’s ever-popular Farm Show Milkshakes.
“We stand with the Dairymen of Pennsylvania,” Redding said to the crowd. The ‘Fill a Glass’ is something that is more than just the nutrition in the glass.”
“Coterra was proud to be among the ‘Keystone Sponsors’ to contribute $25,000 toward the successful initiative,” said Coterra’s Bill desRosers, who spoke at the event. To date, Coterra has contributed well over $100,000 toward the initiative. Coterra’s contribution comes back to people in need in northeastern Pennsylvania via the CEO Weinberg Food Bank.
According to Feeding Pennsylvania CEO Julie Bancroft, Fill a Glass with Hope has now provided more than 36 million servings of milk to help serve the more than 1.2 million Pennsylvanians facing hunger and food insecurity. This year’s total raised was $135,500.
“Our nine partner food banks are seeing their service numbers reach or exceed peak pandemic levels. Milk is one of the most requested items at food banks,” said Bancroft. “The generous corporate sponsors who support this event help expand resource capacity with their donations, allowing our food banks to secure more nutritious fresh milk.”
Kicking off the annual Fill a Glass with Hope campaign at the Pennsylvania Farm Show with Farm Show milkshakes from the Pennsylvania Dairymen’s Association were (from left) Weis Markets director of public relations Dennis Curtin, Coterra Energy manager of external affairs Bill desRosiers, and PA Sec. Of the PA Dept. of Agriculture Russell Redding.
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