July is National Ice Cream Month, which was good news for patrons who visited Utah State University’s famed Aggie Creamery on Friday, July 19. For several hours in the evening, nearly 500 people received a coupon for a free scoop of ice cream.
The organization behind the event is Dairy West, a group of dairy farmers connected to USU.
“We really are just out here for awareness and thanking farmers,” said Sheri Anderson from USU’s Agricultural Science department. She added that they were “just spreading happiness through ice cream.”
During the event, Bridgerland Dairy Farm also brought out two 2-week-old calves to help bring attention to what dairy farmers do.
“Animals bring awareness,” said dairy farmer Braden Anderson. “Most people just think that milk comes from a store; they don’t realize that it comes from cows.”
In addition to playing with the calves, a booth with games and prizes was set up for younger visitors to enjoy the event.
Several planners of the event noted attendance was smaller than the previous year; however, that gave event organizers the opportunity to “surprise people with the gift of free ice cream,” said Anderson.
Mackenzie Olson, the lead in charge of Aggie Ice Cream for the evening, said that she noticed how happy people were when they came to the counter to get their ice cream.
“People were pleasantly surprised, and I think events like these helps spread awareness in the community,” said Olson.
Kristi Spence, the Senior Vice President for Marketing at Dairy West, said that Scoop it Forward is becoming a country-wide event during the month of July. The American Dairy Association promotes the event on their website and encourages acts of kindness through ice cream.
“Scoop it forward was born out of an idea to produce (as an event) around the country and give back to the community,” said Spence.
According to Spence, doing generic promotions such as Scoop it Forward are common for Dairy West, as it helps to promote nutrition and dairy research, including developing dairy technology with USU’s Western Dairy Center.
“At the end of the day, this is just a fun event,” said Spence. “We do want to encourage people to do random acts of kindness and give back, but this is really about having a good time.”
Spence also said the best way to promote the message of Scoop it Forward is to buy ice cream for someone else.
According to their site, Dairy West represents dairy farm families in Utah and Idaho. Their mission is to spread awareness about the struggles that dairy farmers face, while building an appreciation for the dairy industry and their products.