Real estate billionaire and philanthropist Leonard Stern and his wife, Allison, recently made a $300,000 donation to Milk from the Heart, an organization that provides 1% milk to New York families in need.

Many underprivileged families in New York are not getting enough of the dairy product and, thanks to the Sterns’ generous donation, the organization will be able to distribute 14,000 quarts of milk each month at 13 different locations.

Project coordinator Jonah Nelson said that the milk distribution began as a pilot project when they discovered that food pantries do not make fresh milk available, but rather whole fat powdered milk if it they did provide milk – something that is only recommended for consumption by one-year-olds.

Milk from the Heart is choosing to distribute the lower-fat 1% milk to counter the increasing problem of obesity in the inner city and because of its lower cost, making the organization able to distribute more. Each family receives two quarts each month, working on the honor system for families with kids under the age of 18.

For more information on the distribution location and on how to help, visit www.hfhnyc.org/milkfromtheheart.

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