Employee Spotlight: Providing Lifesaving Nourishment for Babies
Over the last year, Emily Portillo, an Open Door WIC nurse, has brought milk to work. Not to enjoy with lunch, but to donate to the WIC Milk Depot at Open Door’s downtown Muncie health center.
This depot is part of The Milk Bank network, a non-profit headquartered in Indianapolis that provides pasteurized donor milk to benefit premature and critically ill babies.
“The concept of milk banks may not be familiar to most people,” said Emily. “As a WIC nurse, I’ve learned that human milk is considered the gold standard, especially for preemies. Hospitals depend on this supply to provide the most beneficial nutrition to fragile babies when a parent is unable to provide their own.”
Open Door has served as a site with The Milk Bank for 15 years in Muncie, and this summer the partnership is expanding. In August, a Milk Express and Milk Depot site will be added in Madison County at Open Door’s Anderson WIC office, 777 Broadway St.—the first in East Central Indiana. While the Milk Depot is an avenue for community members to donate, Milk Express sites give families access to safe donor milk as medical treatment or to bridge gaps in breastfeeding at home.
When Emily had her first child, Jonah, in January of 2021, she had a strong desire to breastfeed through at least his first two years. “There are a lot of variables that impact the ability to breastfeed,” she said. “I feel blessed that it has worked well for us.”
Once Emily returned to work, she pumped to provide milk for Jonah at daycare. But he was not a fan of the bottle. Emily soon found herself with a lot of milk in her freezer.
“It made sense to donate my extra milk,” she said. “I know how important it is. And pumping has allowed me to continue nursing my own son.”
Start the donation process online at www.themilkbank.org/donate-milk or by calling 317-536-1670. Emily answered a handful of health history questions, signed a consent form, and was given instructions for a blood test, paid for by The Milk Bank. Just two weeks later, she received her donor number and detailed instructions on how to label and store milk.
It certainly was convenient that Emily worked at one of the Milk Depot sites. But drop off is straightforward for non-Open Door employees, too. Donors can bring their supply to the Muncie or Anderson WIC offices. They are asked to call ahead to scheduled an appointment for the drop-off.
To date, Emily has donated 699 ounces, providing 2,661 feedings for babies in need. She received multiple emails and a certificate from The Milk Bank, thanking her for her donation. She was even entered into giveaways for Mom-related items and invited to submit a photo for a mosaic of The Milk Bank donors.
Emily appreciates being recognized, but that was not her primary motivation. “It means the most to know that something I was already doing could be so beneficial for others,” said Emily. “It was really easy from start to finish. I’m excited to see Open Door’s relationship with The Milk Bank expand to help even more families.”
To learn more about The Milk Bank, visit www.themilkbank.org or contact WIC in Delaware County at (765) 289-6180 or Madison County at (765) 646-9272.