GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A new breast milk drop-off location in Grand Rapids is making it easier to distribute breast milk to those in need.
The new Bronson Mothers' Milk Bank depot is located at the Corewell Health Care Center in Grand Rapids. It opened its doors to the public on Monday and is Bronson's third depot.
The depot lowers barriers for frequent breast milk donators to drop off their breast milk. Prior to the opening of the new drop-off location, donators had to travel to Battle Creek, Portage or Kalamazoo, or ship their breast milk donation.
Bronson officials said Kent County is among the top three counties donating breast milk to the program.
“We are thrilled that Corewell Health helped make this depot come to fruition. Having a depot in Grand Rapids will make it more convenient for donors in this area to donate their milk, plus it allows us to provide more babies with that extra nutrition and antibodies present in breast milk,” said Lindsay Starks, manager of the Bronson Mothers’ Milk Bank.
After donations are dropped off, they are stored in a freezer at the depot until staff can pick up or ship the breast milk for screening. The donations are then shipped to NICU units and outpatient families throughout Michigan and the United States.
Bronson officials said over 350,000 ounces of breast milk were donated last year.
“Mothers can experience many barriers that prevent them from breastfeeding or pumping so donor breastmilk truly becomes a lifesaving resource," said Gabe Laney, director of NICU and pediatric services at Corewell Health Helen DeVos Children's Hospital. "We received 3,168 ounces of donated breastmilk in 2023 and hope this collaboration will increase access to donor breastmilk for babies by providing a convenient, local resource for mothers to donate.”
The drop-off location is at 2750 East Beltline Avenue NE and is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Breast milk donations are always needed, according to health officials. If you're interested in becoming a donor, you can visit this website for more information or call call 269-341-6146.
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
Watch 13 ON YOUR SIDE for free on Roku, Amazon Fire TV Stick, and on your phone.