COLUMBUS, Ohio — The OhioHealth Mothers’ Milk Bank is one of just 28 milk banks in the United States, and this summer, they’ve added a new milk drop location to make it easier for moms to donate their milk.
What You Need To Know
- The OhioHealth Mothers' Milk Bank is one of just 28 milk banks in the country
- Last year alone, the milk bank distributed almost 450,000 ounces of milk across 11 states
- The newest milk bank drop site at Riverside Methodist Hospital's Women's Boutique makes donating even more accessible
- The new drop-off location brings the total of drop-off sites across the state to 23
At the Mothers’ Milk Bank, there’s a continuous cycle of making sure this milk gets to babies that need it.
Chris Smith, the outreach and operations coordinator for the Milk Bank, shows the process once milk is donated. Once the milk is pasteurized, it’s stored and packed up to be sent across the country.
Last year alone, The Mothers’ Milk Bank distributed nearly 450,000 ounces of milk across 11 states. That’s thanks to donors here in Ohio.
“This is what some of our deposits look like," Smith said. "So they’ll sit in here until we’re ready to pasteurize them.”
The newest donation drop site is Riverside Methodist Hospital’s Women’s Boutique.
“This is our 23rd site here at Riverside," Smith said.
Drop-off sites like these were even busier last year during the formula shortage, which Smith said has now tapered off.
“We got a lot of phone calls from families looking for milk," Smith said. "We also got a lot of phone calls from Ohio women that said I’ve got some extra milk, can you use it? I want to help.”
For donors, like Molly Rausch-Davis, she decided to donate milk when she had her third baby.
“We decided that this was a really good cause and worth the time and effort it took it to give the donation," Rausch-Davis said.
While it wasn’t always easy juggling two kids and a newborn, she knew what she was doing was making a difference.
“Although the pumping itself is a labor of love, it’s very rewarding," she said.
She said the new drop-off location at Riverside is much more convenient and would have made her journey much easier.
“That’s probably the only thing that could have made it an easier process," Rausch-Davis said. "And now, Riverside has a drop-off point. So it’s a much more centralized location.”
Smith agrees and hopes to continue adding more milk drop sites across the state to make donating even more accessible.
“It’s easier I think for most of our donors with little children to just be able to come in and drop off the milk," Smith said. "Let someone else worry about packing it up and shipping it to us.”
To become a milk donor, you must be approved through OhioHealth through blood work and other screening measures. To begin the process contact the OhioHealth Mothers' Milk Bank.