WEST DES MOINES — Hy-Vee, Inc. has announced that generous customer donations and its corporate participation during The Great American Milk Drive helped raise $360,846 to purchase much-needed milk for local food banks throughout Hy-Vee’s eight-state region.

During the monthlong campaign in March, customer donations totaled $277,846, with an additional $83,000 in corporate giving from Hy-Vee. According to Feeding America, milk is one of the most requested – yet least available – items in food banks across the nation.

In partnership with Feeding America, the nation’s largest domestic hunger-relief organization, MilkPEP and the National Dairy Council, The Great American Milk Drive campaign unites and enables the nation’s food banks, processors, retailers and consumers to ensure milk and its essential nutrients, including high-quality protein, are provided to families who need it most. Sponsors for this year’s campaign include Dean Foods, Kraft Heinz, Mondelez International, Hiland Dairy, Kemps and Anderson Erickson Dairy.