Frederick County dairy farmers and a local milk processor donated 8,600 gallons of milk this holiday season to a major Washington-area food bank.

The Dairy Maid Dairy processing plant in Frederick — previously operated by the Vona family — collected milk donations for the Capital Area Food Bank, which serves 700,000 residents at risk of hunger in the D.C. metro area, according to a press release.

Dairy Farmers of America owns the milk-processing plant. The plant is supplied by a cooperative of local and out-of-state dairy farmers, said Dave Staz, general manager of Dairy Maid Dairy, which is part of the cooperative. The plant processes and commercially packages milk for supermarkets, schools, senior living homes and charities.

By Samantha Hogan