KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — If you are currently breastfeeding and have an excess amount. There are places locally that you can donate.
Tennessee has nine milk depots open across the state. Only one depot is located in East Tennessee and it's in Knoxville.
Knoxville Lactation Clinic opened in September. It's located on North Martinwood Road.
Women who currently breastfeed infants younger than a year old are eligible for screening to become milk bank donors at no charge.
Prospective donors can apply online.
The goal is to create even more drop off locations and to open a milk bank where the breastmilk can be stored and processed.
Right now, the donated milk is being sent to a milk bank in Austin, Texas to be processed, but it could save a lot of time and money if we had one in state.
"When we have healthy moms, we strive for healthy babies, when we don't have healthy babies, we know that the human part will help them strive. So to get our own milk bank in Tennessee will cut down on transportation costs and open up volume," Mothers’ Milk Bank Tennessee East TN Regional Director Pat Steimer said.
The milk bank is hoping to open in the spring in middle Tennessee.
