TWIN FALLS, Idaho — It was a cold morning with a brisk wind blowing, but joyful Chobani employees donned gloves, stocking caps and reindeer antlers to give out about 5,000 cases of Chobani yogurt to local residents.

The 9th annual holiday giveaway was held on Saturday in a drive-thru event at the parking lot of the College of Southern Idaho. It began at 8 a.m. with two steady lanes of vehicles still going strong three hours later.

Happy recipients were greeted by animated employee volunteers who brought boxes of yogurt to their vehicles with smiles and well wishes as Christmas carols kept the atmosphere festive.

Spirit of giving

About 25 employee volunteers turned out.

“We certainly couldn’t make this happen without them,” said Kelly Herrgesell, Chobani’s community impact manager.

“Our employees love to do it. It’s one of our favorite volunteer events of the year. We definitely really appreciate our volunteers. It ends up being an all-day event for most of us,” she said.

The giveaway was scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to noon. But things got going earlier than planned due to a large turnout. The college’s security officers managed the logistics, setting up barriers to form the giveaway lanes and directing traffic.

Force for good

Chobani has been part of the community for 10 years, and has been holding the holiday giveaway for nine. The event provides cases of yogurt to about 2,500 families.

“We do it to give back to the community. The community has been very good to Chobani,” Herrgesell said.

“We like to put our nutritious product in the hands of people who need it or want it. We use food as a force for good,” she said.

That’s not limited to the holiday giveaway. Chobani partners with local organizations and food pantries throughout the year to donate product. It funds backpack programs to help feed students, donates refrigerators to school food pantries, feeds children over spring break and funds school curriculums on nutrition and food education.

Chobani’s initiatives are aimed at addressing food insecurity and child nutrition, she said.