Breast Milk Depot To Open Friday In Champaign

A site in Champaign where women can donate their breast milk opens Friday.

The Champaign-Urbana Public Health District will store breast milk from screened donors in a freezer, and then ship that milk to an Indianapolis milk bank. It will be pasteurized at the milk bank and made available to hospitals and outpatients.

Champaign-Urbana Public Health lactation consultant Heather Ludwig said this new drop off site will make a big difference for families in need.

“If a mom has access to milk that’s going to help protect her baby and prevent problems, that’s just going to make her so much more confident in being able to take care of her baby,” Ludwig said. “It’s going to help a baby be able to thrive and just be able to take the time to grow and mature and not have to deal with a bunch of debilitating illnesses.”

The breast milk drop off site in Champaign is the first in central Illinois, and one of a handful in the state. Ludwig said other public health departments have contacted her about starting one up.