[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ fullwidth=”on” specialty=”off” _builder_version=”3.6″ next_background_color=”#000000″ global_module=”794″][et_pb_fullwidth_image global_parent=”794″ _builder_version=”3.6″ src=”https:\/\/reno2018.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2018\/06\/Banner_v1.png” saved_tabs=”all” \/][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”3.6″ prev_background_color=”#000000″ next_background_color=”#000000″][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.0.48″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_post_title date=”off” categories=”off” comments=”off” featured_image=”off” _builder_version=”3.6″ title_font=”Oswald|||on|||||” title_font_size=”60px” title_line_height=”1.5em” meta_font=”Roboto|600|||||||” meta_text_color=”#da7858″ meta_font_size=”24″ \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”3.0.48″ background_size=”initial” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Explainer Text” disabled_on=”off|off|off%22%22″ _builder_version=”3.6″ text_font=”Roboto||||” text_font_size=”16px” text_line_height=”1.9em” custom_padding=”30px|||” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n
I rode along with Debbie Parks, Reno\u2019s pioneering milkmaid, as she delivered milk across town hours before the sun even came up. She starts her day here, at the Model Dairy milk plant. Listen to her story and what she does to get breakfast foods to doorsteps across town. <\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_video src=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/yfZeQxvo-VE” _builder_version=”3.6″ \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Section: Wide photo” specialty=”off” prev_background_color=”#ffffff” next_background_color=”#ffffff” _builder_version=”3.6″ background_image=”https:\/\/reno2018.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2018\/06\/Jana-6-e1529013707240.png” custom_padding=”100px||600px|”][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_audio audio=”https:\/\/reno2018.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2018\/06\/MilkmaidDebbie_Jana.mp3″ title=”The Modern Milkmaid” artist_name=”Jana Sayson” album_name=”Next Generation Radio, Reno 2018″ _builder_version=”3.6″ background_color=”rgba(163,116,141,0.25)” custom_margin=”100px|||” \/][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”Hero” disabled_on=”off||” _builder_version=”3.6″ custom_padding=”||0px|” prev_background_color=”#000000″ next_background_color=”#5d6799″][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” background_position_1=”top_left” background_position_2=”top_left” background_repeat_1=”no-repeat” background_repeat_2=”no-repeat” _builder_version=”3.6″][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Story Text” disabled_on=”off|off|off%22%22″ _builder_version=”3.6″ text_font=”Roboto||||” text_font_size=”16px” text_line_height=”1.9em” custom_padding=”30px|||”]<\/p>\n Debbie Parks loads the back of her refrigerated truck at 3 in the morning, carrying a crate filled with six gallons of milk. That\u2019s almost 120 pounds. She is Reno\u2019s first milkman\u2014no, milkmaid. Clad in her blue jacket, thick ski gloves, and matching blue cap, Parks brings to life a 1950\u2019s suburban tradition that many assume to be a thing of the past.<\/p>\n \u201cI wish I delivered in glass bottles like it used to be,\u201d she said. \u201cTimes have changed, but I still deliver the milk.\u201d<\/p>\n Her routine starts hours before the sun even comes up. By 2:30 in the morning, she\u2019s at the Model Dairy milk plant near downtown Reno, filling her truck with all the necessary ingredients for breakfast. Her products range from nearly a dozen different types of milk and cheeses in all shapes and forms to cartons of eggs and even packs bacon. Before heading off, she checks her customer roster in the on-board computer system in her truck. On her busiest day, Parks delivers 250 products to nearly 65 customers across the Reno area.<\/p>\n \u201cAt first, it did take me four hours,\u201d Parks said. \u201cNow it takes me anywhere from an hour and a half to two hours to do it just simply because I know where the houses are, I know most of the customers, I know what they want.\u201d<\/p>\n Parks has been the milkmaid of Morning Star Distributing since December of 2017, and has been the first and only female home delivery person there. The job demands the physical strain of lifting heavy crates of milk and delivering to doorsteps, which sometimes requires her to walk across lawns and up several stairs to reach the front door. Parks said she has impressed her male coworkers.<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I\u2019m a female. Yeah, I\u2019m little. I\u2019m 5\u20195\u201d and 110 pounds. I weigh as much as the crates I\u2019m carrying,\u201d she said. \u201cMy boss, when I first started, wanted to load my truck and I go, \u2018No, I have to learn how to do this on my own because you\u2019re not going to be with me every solitary day…This is something I have to do.\u2019 He learned to back off and let me do it.\u201d<\/p>\n Though most of her customers are still asleep by the time she comes by, she manages to connect with those who are up, making the effort to go out and chat with them. Her customers include families with children, elderly couples, and residents who have a physical disability and appreciate the convenience.<\/p>\n \u201cI think that some of [them] don\u2019t get to go out or talk to a lot of people,\u201d she said, \u201cbut I\u2019ve gotten to talk to them, know all of them…I ask if there\u2019s anything I can do to make it easier for you.\u201d<\/p>\n Even when some customers have stopped the service, she continues to maintain the friendship she has made.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve had a customer\u2019s doctor say he can\u2019t do dairy anymore,\u201d Parks said. \u201cBut I still drop by his house every week…I\u2019ll stop and get out even if it\u2019s not my stop, pet the cat, chit chat a bit, and go on to my next route.\u201d<\/p>\n Her dedication to give her customers the most convenient experience drives her to go above and beyond. Parks goes as far as even giving customers her personal cell number so they can directly contact her in the event they need more or less of the product on last minute notice. Sometimes, if a customer requests a product she is short on, Parks returns to the plant after her normal deliveries and uses her personal vehicle to deliver what was missed.<\/p>\n \u201cAmazon does not do that,\u201d she said. \u201cMost delivery people…they\u2019re there just to drop the package and be gone.\u201d<\/p>\n Though she has never been a morning person, the payoff is worth it. In the cab of her truck, everything seems serene. Stars twinkle in the dark sky while a touch of orange brushes the horizon, hinting the arrival of the sun.<\/p>\n \u201cI get to be up early; I get to see another side of Reno I don\u2019t see in the daytime,\u201d Parks said. \u201cFor me to be doing this is kind of odd, but I love it. I would not trade this job right now for anything.\u201d<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_slider _builder_version=”3.6″ text_orientation=”left”][et_pb_slide image=”https:\/\/reno2018.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2018\/06\/Jana-7.png” use_bg_overlay=”off” use_text_overlay=”off” _builder_version=”3.6″ background_color=”rgba(93,103,153,0.39)” button_on_hover=”on”]<\/p>\n Debbie Parks is the milkmaid for Morning Star Distributing. She says she\u2019s the first female to deliver milk to customers\u2019 doorsteps.<\/p>\n Photo by Jana Sayson<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_slide][et_pb_slide image=”https:\/\/reno2018.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2018\/06\/Jana-6-e1529013707240.png” use_bg_overlay=”off” use_text_overlay=”off” _builder_version=”3.6″ background_color=”rgba(93,103,153,0.39)” button_on_hover=”on”]<\/p>\n Parks checks her customer roster in her on-board computer just as she takes off on her route starting at 3:30 am.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Photo by Taylor Harkader<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_slide][et_pb_slide image=”https:\/\/reno2018.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2018\/06\/Jana-5.png” use_bg_overlay=”off” use_text_overlay=”off” _builder_version=”3.6″ background_color=”rgba(93,103,153,0.39)” button_on_hover=”on”]<\/p>\n Crates of milk stacked inside the enormous refrigerator warehouse at the Model Dairy plant in the heart of Reno. The milk comes from local dairies in Elko, Yerington, and Fallon and is processed in the plant.<\/p>\n Photo by Taylor Harkrader<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_slide][et_pb_slide image=”https:\/\/reno2018.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2018\/06\/Jana-4.png” use_bg_overlay=”off” use_text_overlay=”off” _builder_version=”3.6″ background_color=”rgba(93,103,153,0.39)” button_on_hover=”on”]<\/p>\n Parks loads crates of milk into the back of her truck, preparing to head out to her deliveries.<\/p>\n Photo by Taylor Harkrader<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_slide][et_pb_slide image=”https:\/\/reno2018.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2018\/06\/Jana-3.png” use_bg_overlay=”off” use_text_overlay=”off” _builder_version=”3.6″ background_color=”rgba(93,103,153,0.39)” button_on_hover=”on”]<\/p>\n \u201cI have to have the gloves on,\u201d Parks said. She has Reynaud\u2019s syndrome, which may constrict her arteries when exposed to cold temperatures.<\/p>\n Photo by Taylor Harkrader<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_slide][et_pb_slide image=”https:\/\/reno2018.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2018\/06\/Jana-2.png” use_bg_overlay=”off” use_text_overlay=”off” _builder_version=”3.6″ background_color=”rgba(93,103,153,0.39)” button_on_hover=”on”]<\/p>\n Parks drives this refrigerated truck filled with crates of milk, other dairy products, and breakfast foods.<\/p>\n Photo by Jana Sayson<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_slide][et_pb_slide image=”https:\/\/reno2018.nextgenradio.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2018\/06\/Jana-1.png” use_bg_overlay=”off” use_text_overlay=”off” _builder_version=”3.6″ background_color=”rgba(93,103,153,0.39)” button_on_hover=”on”]<\/p>\n A late 50\u2019s Divco milk truck sits in the lot of the Model Dairy plant. 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