Nothing like ice cream to brighten up an otherwise overcast day. American Dairy Association Indiana, Inc was able to accomplish that Friday at Victory Field in Indianapolis during their annual Ice Cream Social, a drive-thru event for the second year.
“July is ice cream months, so why not invite the community and really celebrate agriculture and all the dairy foods, and ice cream is a really big part of Indiana,” says ADAI CEO Jenni Browning.
The event is always a fund raiser helping support the work of organizations like this year’s YMCA of Greater Indianapolis.
“We always look for an organization that really aligns with our values and our goals, and the YMCA is all about community and family and also youth wellness, which is very important to us,” she told HAT.
Jim Wood, Senior Vice President at the YMCA says donations will go to people who can’t other afford Y programs.
“All the money that is raised through the ice cream social will go to help who couldn’t otherwise afford Y programs,” he explained. “So, the money we collect will make things available to all people, and those are programs like Livestrong for cancer survivors. We have Project Connect which is a program that certifies nursing assistants and childcare workers. It’s a brand new program for us. Y Achievers, which prepares kids for college, and all our fitness and health-related programming we want to make available to everyone in the community.”
As Browning explains, because of the pandemic effect during planning this year the social is a little bit different.
“Usually, we’re on the Circle but this is a drive-thru at Victory Field so it’s ice cream novelties. That way they can just grab their ice cream and eat it on the go or have a picnic.”
But helping the community has remained a constant.
“We’re really hoping to raise money for the YMCA and have people really celebrate the dairy industry. We work for 750 Indiana dairy farmers and the more that we can connect people and show them and connect them with a dairy farmer, the more that they can learn about where our food comes from.”
See more in the HAT YouTube Video.