The Milk Bank
- Primary Cause
- Health Care
- Secondary Cause
- Diseases, Disorders & Medical
The Milk Bank is a non-profit organization that promotes community health by expanding the safe use of human milk for all babies, especially premature and ill infants.
Our core programs include screening, collecting, pasteurizing, and distributing donor human milk to premature infants and others. The Milk Bank receives human milk from carefully screened donors. Milk donations are pasteurized and tested before being dispensed to one of over 46 recipient hospitals we currently serve.
In addition to providing pasteurized donor human milk to premature infants and others, our core programs include the responsibility to collaborate to support and educate the community in order to promote the awareness and acceptance of breastfeeding and donor milk.
The Milk Bank
Indiana’s state breastfeeding plan has identified increasing breastfeeding rates and community support as one of their goals to fight one of the highest rates of infant mortality in the country.
Breast milk is THE optimal food for infants. It provides the best nutrition and lowers the risk of illness. Breastfeeding has been shown to reduce the incidence of babies dying in their first year.
The involvement of a lactation consultant increases the number of women that initiate breastfeeding, extends the duration of breastfeeding and improves exclusive breastfeeding rates. Community-based breastfeeding support can be hard to find.
The Breastfeeding Resources & Assistance program offers free lactation support from an IBCLC or CLS, infant weight checks and pump checks. Our aim is to increase breastfeeding initiation and duration for Indianapolis area breastfeeding women. This program can provide the support that many breastfeeding women need, while also promoting Human Milk.
The Milk Bank
Megan’s twin sons were born prematurely and spent two months in the NICU. Her journey was filled with ups and downs. “Everything was such a whirlwind and the only thing I could do at that point was pump. All I remember was crying my eyes out trying to pump”, reflects Megan. Eventually, Megan wasn't able to supplement her boys like she was in the beginning. The hospital asked if she would be interested in receiving donor milk. “I thought it was the coolest thing that this resource was available to me”. The Milk Bank provided pasteurized donor human milk to her sons. “The Milk Bank helped relieve some of my anxiety and pressure on top of everything else. And I'll be forever grateful to that”.
You can read Megan's full story on our website at https://www.themilkbank.org/blog-2/nicuawareness2017.
The Milk Bank
Volunteers are vital to the continued growth of The Milk Bank.
The Milk Bank is currently looking for Milk Bank Ambassadors in Central Indiana who are willing to donate a little time to help spread the word about The Milk Bank. Ambassadors would deliver brochures, participate in community activities, provide feedback on programming and share our messages on social media. Ambassadors will be asked to attend a short training session at our Indianapolis office and will be provided with any supplies needed.
If you'd like to be a Milk Bank Ambassador please email your contact information to engagement@themilkbank.org.
Want to help? Skill-based volunteers are needed in the following categories!
- Marketing
- Fundraising
- Evaluation
- Other
- Graphic Design
- Web Development
- Bookkeeping
- Legal Compliance
The Milk Bank
Suggested Donations
- Give a fragile infant the best start to life. A $25 donation can feed a Drops of Love recipient for an entire day. ($25.00)
- Ensure donated milk reached infants across the Midwest. A $50 donation can cover the shipping costs of donated milk to The Milk Bank for pasteurization. ($50.00)
- Support a mom as she becomes a milk donor. A $100 donation will cover the costs of her intake screening. ($100.00)
Funding Needs
Every contribution, both financial and milk donations provide health and hope and make a life-saving difference to the fragile babies we serve.
Our Drops of Love program ensures that all fragile babies have access to pasteurized donor human milk (PDHM), regardless of the family’s ability to pay. Prematurity is the leading cause of infant mortality. Many parents are faced with financial barriers that could limit their access to PDHM. This program is vital and The Milk Bank strives to serve any family in need of donor milk, however, we are dependent on individual donors, foundations and corporations to fund this program.
Donating is an act of love.
