Minnesota Milk Bank for Babies

About Us

Welcome to Minnesota Milk Bank for Babies (MMBB) – we are a community-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit human donor milk bank, dedicated to improving infant health outcomes in Minnesota and the Upper Midwest.

Our mission is clear: to provide premature and medically fragile newborns with life-giving, safely pasteurized donor human milk (PDHM) when their own mother's milk is unavailable or limited.

As a member of the Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA) and a licensed food manufacturer approved by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, we're proud to meet the highest standards for human milk processing.

Our milk donors are healthy, lactating individuals who generously donate their surplus milk for free to help babies in need. Our rigorous screening process ensures the safety of the milk for even the tiniest, most vulnerable infants. Donated milk is transported to MMBB by dedicated volunteers and courier services like Angel Flight Central, where it is pasteurized and tested for safety before distributing.

Our PDHM is dispensed to babies in hospital NICUs and other inpatient settings as a critical first priority. For preterm and low-birth weight infants, using PDHM drastically reduces the risk of life-threatening infections like necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC).

But our commitment to providing PDHM doesn't stop there. We've partnered with NorthPoint Food Pantry, Division of Indian Works, WIC, and the Minnesota Breastfeeding Coalition to create Bridge Bag programs, which provide up to ten 4 oz bottles of PDHM at no cost to families in need. We aim to equitably serve out-patient infants by reducing the financial barrier to obtaining PDHM.

The Big Move Ahead!

Since our founding in 2019, we've successfully dispensed PDHM without interruption despite challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain disruptions, civil unrest, inflation, and formula shortages. To meet the growing needs of fragile babies and their families, we’re relocating to a larger facility in early 2024 to increase production. With your support, we can ensure the big move is successful – see below for ways your donation will create positive change.

$20,000 could help provide one walk-in freezer for the milk bank. We are in need of two more!

$750 is the amount needed to sponsor a milk depot, a site where milk donors can drop off their donated breastmilk. Help us further our reach across greater Minnesota and surrounding states.

$200 could sponsor a family with financial need through our Community Care Fund which supports Bridge Bag programs, providing bridge milk during a critical period of life.

$150 helps cover the cost for one donor to be fully screened and approved to donate milk.

$50 would assist in supporting the cost of testing donor milk.

At MMBB, we stand behind every drop of our PDHM as a bridge to better newborn health. Thank you for joining us in helping babies close to home.