Northern Star Mothers Milk Bank is an organization which helps connect those new mothers who wish to donate some of their excess milk, to those newborns in need of some healthy mother’s milk.

The milk bank collects milk from donors, pasteurizes it and makes it suitable for newborn babies who might not have access to it otherwise.

Megan Hallam is the Clinical Coordinator with the Northern Star Mothers Milk Bank, and she talks about how none of this could be possible without the generosity of some new moms.

"The Red Deer Milk Drop opened in February of last year, and we have multiple milk drops across the province, the idea being, there are lots of moms who are so very generously willing to donate their milk to babies that they are never going to meet. And in order for them to do that, they have somewhere they can drop it off fairly easily."

Mothers who wish to donate have to go through a screening process before they are allowed to donate.

Once they are approved, the Milk Bank pasteurizes and tests it, and sent it out to neonatal intensive care units, where they are needed the most.

The NICU at the Red Deer Regional Hospital utilized 640 (120 ml) bottles in 2016 which is 76.8 litres, so far this year the Hospital has called on the milk bank for 220 (120 ml) bottles, which is more than 26 litres.

The Milk Bank in Red Deer is located in the Johnstone Crossing Community Health Centre.

Anyone interested in donating or gaining access to this program can visit their website, Northernstarmilkbank.ca.