Milk Drives on a Mission!
04/04/2022
We kicked off our first Milk Drives of 2022 this past week! Our first milk drive of 2022 was held in North Little Rock, Arkansas at the Root Creation on March 26. The second on March 30, a little closer to home in Burleson, Texas. We loved meeting the moms and babies behind the donated milk- between the two milk drives over 3,000 ounces were donated for fragile babies!
Since our first milk drive in October 2021, over 21,000 ounces of frozen breastmilk have been donated by generous mothers to the milk bank. During a time when demand for donor milk continues to rise, including Milk Drives as a convenient way to become a donor has been a great addition to the traditional donor screening process. When donating at a milk drive, moms can complete all the necessary steps on the spot – we have a donor coordinator who completes the health screening questionnaire; an onsite phlebotomist to do the require blood draw; and then there is always a cooler on hand to collect the donated milk!
Milk drives have been a great way to get out and about to connect with the community – we’ve been able to hold them with a variety of community partners including hospitals, clinics, a private lactation consultant’s office, and even as part of a Trunk or Treat Halloween event with a local nonprofit supporting NICU families. The opportunity to spend time with our partners has been an invaluable way to continue spreading the word about milk donation and the benefits of donor milk, reaching staff and people in the community who might not learn about milk banking otherwise.
We’re excited for the upcoming milk drives we have planned throughout 2022. Our next one is just a couple weeks away on Saturday, April 16 at the Fort Worth Birthing and Wellness Center here in Fort Worth!