Volunteers help ease nationwide baby formula shortage
BOSTON (CBS) - Scroll through Facebook and you'll find the frenzy. Parents panicked over getting their hands on impossible-to-find formulas as the nationwide shortage drags on.
"Some of these babies have some really complex little tummies and they need really specialized formula," said Leanne Cochrane.
Cochrane lives in Canada, but visits Massachusetts and is connected online. So, she's making the round at her fully stocked stores, then mailing products to Massachusetts moms she doesn't know.
"I'm one person. If I can help, absolutely. They say it takes a village to raise a child. It's time for the village to step up and raise the children," she said.
This crisis isn't only sending parents in a scramble to get nutrition for their baby, but also to give. At the Mothers Milk Bank Northeast, their phones are ringing off the hook as donors are desperate to help.
"In a normal week we would hear from 20-30 moms who are reaching out just to learn about milk donation to see whether or not it's something they might be able to do. In the last two days we've heard from 200," explained executive director Deborah Youngblood.
The Newton bank's priority is the more than 100 NICUs they supply across the northeast. But they do provide "meantime" or "bridge" milk for families too. Youngblood knows milk banks are a part of the solution, but says this emergency proves there must be more options and more support for parents.
"I always think it's a beautiful thing when people see a crisis or challenge and work to be part of the solution," she said.
