Minnesota Milk Bank for Babies

Step up for Tiny Feet on Give to the Max Day 2023!

Over the past six years, we've witnessed a doubling in the number of facilities in Minnesota offering pasteurized donor human milk (PDHM) for newborns in need. We are immensely proud to be the sole source of this vital nourishment in our state, ensuring that our littlest ones receive the essential nutrients they need.  In the past year alone, you helped us distribute 325,000 ounces of donor milk, providing 975,000 meals to babies across the region. This is a testament to the incredible impact that a community of caring individuals like you can make. 

But as the need continues to rise, so must our capacity to respond effectively.

Now, we announce a milestone in our journey “Step up for Tiny Feet” - MMBB Move to a New Space. As the demand for our resources and services has grown, so must we.  The next step in our journey is relocating to a new facility where we can expand our footprint for increased milk collection, processing, storage, and distribution. Our mission's growth fuels our urgency to transition to a larger, purpose-built facility where donor milk is processed with care, distributed efficiently to hospitals and food shelves, and our selfless milk donors are celebrated and supported.   We are inviting you to “Step up for Tiny Feet”. 

We are on a mission to raise $20,000 this Give to the Max Day. Every dollar counts, and every footstep gets us closer to making a difference in these tiny little lives. Your gift will allow us to stride confidently toward a healthy future for Minnesota’s newest residents.  

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, Olmsted County Public Health Family Home Visiting and WIC Program, 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.