Delhi moves quickly to get milk in school

The machine arrived Nov. 14 and was filled with 260 pints of milk in a variety of flavors and types. A day later, it was empty. Tuesday morning, the Byrne Dairy truck arrived early, delivered 280 pints and by Wednesday, those were gone.

Thursday morning, Clare Pardee, the school's food service manager, ordered 420 pints of milk and said she hopes they lasts until the next delivery.

It should come as no surprised that in Delaware County — where cows are a way of life — milk is a popular beverage. What is surprising is that in a dairy stronghold, it took a concerted effort to get a milk vending machine in the school.

Pardee said getting the machine installed in the cafeteria was a joint effort between the superintendent, the board of education and the kitchen staff, but Landa Palmer of East Meredith got the ball rolling when she wrote a letter to the editor that appeared in The Daily Star in October.

Palmer, wife of a dairy farmer, was commenting on a story about the abundant milk supply.

"I have a child who goes to school hoping to buy milk for lunch, but the lines are so long he won't have time to eat if he gets in line," she wrote.

"He goes without milk! That seems strange for a farmer's kid. I wonder why we don't have milk-dispensing machines in our schools with plain, chocolate and strawberry flavors? There's a machine for kids to buy sports drinks, but not a milk machine. Maybe if we made it easier for kids to buy milk they would be healthier and stronger and make a dent in the milk surplus."

Palmer said her letter elicited replies from state Assembly Agriculture Committee Chairman Bill Magee, D-Nelson, and several other people who support the dairy industry. She contacted the school about getting a machine installed, and, before long, it was done.

"The thing that was exciting was how quickly it happened," Palmer said. "Clare did a lot of work getting it in place."

A spokesman at the American Dairy Association and Dairy Council in Syracuse said a check of the records indicated Delhi's school is the only one in the county with such a machine.

Although getting a milk vending machine sounds simple, Pardee said it's not.

"The machines cost $4,500 to $5,000 apiece if the school wants to buy one," she said. "The distributors won't put them in unless there are a minimum of 400 students with access to the machine and you guarantee sales of 300 pints of milk a week."

Pardee was the food services manager at Roxbury Central School before taking a job in Delhi in August. She said Roxbury was interested in getting a milk machine but couldn't because the school isn't big enough.

As Pardee talked about the brightly lit machine — with a life-size picture of Michael Jordan on the side — a stream of students bought milk.

"I like the milk, but I especially like the guy on the side," said Linda Astuto, 17.

Sam Mason, 15, said he prefers the vanilla malt flavor.

"I drink five of them a day," Mason said.

The machine offers vanilla malt, strawberry, chocolate, iced cappuccino, mocha cappuccino, low-fat chocolate, whole milk, reduced-fat milk, skim milk and orange juice.

Cappuccino is a favorite. Jaime Ladlee, 17, Katherin Crandell and Adam Kelly all professed a preference for the coffee-flavored variety.

"I don't like plain milk, but I love the mocha cappuccino, and I don't really get enough calcium in my diet," said Crandell, 14.

Kelly, 15, said he was drinking sports drinks from another vending machine before the milk was available.

"We are happy as a lark about having this machine," Pardee said.

Only the high school students have access to the vending machine, but Pardee is making the flavored milk available to the middle school students and said she hopes to eventually get a machine in that building, too.

Palmer said the American Dairy Association and Dairy Council have provided inflatable blow-up cows and "Got Milk" posters to encourage students to drink milk, but so far, they haven't been needed.

Palmer said local dairy farmers are thrilled their kids have access to milk.

"We are so proud of this accomplishment," Palmer said. "Tonight when I went in to pick up my daughter from sports there were a number of teens waiting for their parents and drinking — milk. What a sight to behold for this dairy farmer's wife."

Palmer added that although the milk is a novelty now, the students like the taste, so she expects the machine to continue its success.

"I have a dream in my head to talk to other schools and find a way to get milk machines in every school in the county," Palmer said.

Officials at Margaretville Central School and Stamford Central School said they are looking into getting the machines installed.

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Patricia Breakey can be reached at (607) 746-2894 or at stardelhi@stny.rr.com.