1,000 Ounces of Breastmilk Collected,18 Donors Screened
Our October 12th Donor Milk Drive was a great success. We got the word out across the county and lots of people came to Sierra Vista to become donors, volunteer their time, drop off food or gifts, and just say hi. A big thank you to Pauline Sakamoto, Executive Director, San Jose Mother's Milk Bank. We'd also like to thank our sponsors who supported this annual community event. Mark your calendar for our October 2017 Milk Drive at French Hospital.
KSBY did a great clip on the event, check it out here.
Some Central Coast mothers are making a lifesaving difference for premature babies across California and the country.
Alyssa Quesada's little boy is happy and healthy, but she knows it isn't this easy for everyone.
"We personally had a micro-preemie in the family and seeing the struggle they went through and now learning that I can donate milk for that very same reason just feels like the right thing to do," she said.
Quesada is newly screened to donate her leftover breast milk to the San Jose-based Mothers' Milk Bank, a process that involves a quick questionnaire and blood test.
"We're looking for moms that can donate milk to us, not just today, but throughout the year and to tell families that if they need milk, they can always call the Milk Bank in San Jose," said Pauline Sakamoto, Executive Director of San Jose Mothers' Milk Bank.
Mom Melissa George donated more than 300 ounces of her milk Wednesday at a milk donation drive at Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center, hosted by the Central Coast Breastfeeding Coalition.
"I ended up having more in the freezer than I was able to get through before it would essentially go bad for my own children, so I wanted to pass it along to people who could use it," she said.
Sakamoto says George's milk, along with the donations from 17 other women at Wednesday's drive, will go to struggling babies in California and 12 other states across the nation.
One-thousand ounces of breastmilk were collected at the event, but the Milk Bank says it needs to collect even more milk ahead of the holidays when moms often get too busy to donate.