June is here! And Louisa Veterinary Service has kicked off the annual 10-Gallon Challenge. Now in its 8th year, the Challenge is made the first week of June, which is not only the start of summer, but also Dairy Month!

This community service project encourages contributions of no less than 10 gallons of milk to the Louisa County Resource Council to supply wholesome, delicious, and nutritious milk to local families with children. The need for milk is especially important during the summer, when children are home from school and are not receiving school lunches. During the last six months alone, the Resource Council has served 16,335 people, 5,272 of whom were children ages 0-17.

Donating milk also supports a struggling dairy industry, some of the hardest working people in our great nation.

So Louisa Veterinary Service is “challenging” all churches in Louisa County to participate. This week, letters are going out to the nearing 100 churches in the county, encouraging contributions and explaining the process, as larger contributions need to be ordered from most grocery stores so as not to clear the inventory off their shelves. And although a contribution schedule divided into denominations is included in the packet, it is only a suggestion to keep milk flowing throughout the summer. Any church may donate any amount at any time. Whether a donation is 2 gallons, 10 gallons, or 100 gallons, every gallon jug and half gallon carton makes a difference.

But before you deliver your donation, Louisa Veterinary Service is encouraging you to take a photo of your church or business family with milk and submit it to the Central Virginian. Remember to include the name of your church or business and the number of gallons you donated. Seeing photos of churches’ contributions will remind all of us of the importance of this project and hopefully inspire our community to support the Louisa County Resource Council throughout the year.

If your letter of invitation to this community service project has been misdirected, or you have any questions, you may contact Dr. Melinda McCall at Louisa Veterinary Service, 540-894-6321. Let’s show Louisa County how brothers and sisters in Christ can work together to meet the needs of our community.