The HELPINGHANDS Milk Bank Story

Why Helping Hands Milk Bank Exists

Our mission is the unique integration of two very compelling goals: to collect excess breast milk from qualified donors for premature infants, and simultaneously give back to the community in a significant and meaningful way by financially supporting selected charities based on the amount of donated milk received.

In the absence of human milk donors, there would not be a way to provide human milk fortifier and standardized human milk processed from 100% human breast milk to babies in need. We appreciate your breast milk donation and want to make the experience as pleasant as possible. Your generous donation is valued highly by the medical community as well as the families with preterm and sick babies.

How It Works

One of the unique things about HELPINGHANDS Milk Bank is our ability to accept donor milk from all over the contiguous United States. It is not necessary to have a milk bank nearby in order to make this precious donation. HELPINGHANDS is a virtual milk bank utilizing the power of the internet to allow a qualified donor to make her breast milk donation from the comfort of her own home. Once you become an eligible candidate for donation, HELPINGHANDS will supply pre-qualification testing materials consisting of a blood test to screen for various viruses and a DNA cheek swab to match incoming milk. HELPINGHANDS will also provide breast milk storage containers and shipping supplies, all at no charge to the qualified donor. The qualification process generally takes about 3 weeks and is good for 123 days before re-qualification testing is required.

It is our hope to receive a minimum of 150 ounces once an eligible candidate becomes a qualified breast milk donor.

What We Do

Your valuable breast milk donation will be used to make human milk fortifier and standardized human milk from 100% human milk. Both will be available for very low birth weight infants in the neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) across the United States. While a mother's breast milk can provide a large percentage of her premature baby's needs, premature infants need more protein and calories than are naturally occurring in mother's milk. Through consumption of concentrated human milk protein, in the form of a human milk fortifier from 100% human milk by Prolacta Bioscience®, critically ill babies are able to get the nutrition they need to grow while being fed exclusively human milk. Also, when mother's own milk is not available in the NICU, standardized human milk is made from your donation and can be used to ensure a 100% human milk diet in the NICU. Standardized human milk is processed to ensure that it always has similar calories and protein that would be found in mother's milk if milk from the mother of the premature baby were available.

Along with your valuable breast milk donation, Prolacta Bioscience® has pledged to contribute $1 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure in support of breast cancer research for every ounce of qualified milk we collect. This important cause was chosen as recipient of the contribution because studies show a correlation between breastfeeding and a reduction in a woman's risk of developing breast cancer.1 2 Prolacta supports the strong alignment between breast feeding, breast milk donation and breast cancer research.

1"Breast cancer and breastfeeding: collaborative reanalysis of individual data from 47 epidemiological studies in 30 countries, including 50302 women with breast cancer and 96973 women without the disease", Lancet, Vol 360 No. 9328, pp 187-195

2Alison M. Stuebe; Walter C. Willett; Fei Xue; Karin B. Michels. "Lactation and Incidence of Premenopausal Breast Cancer: A Longitudinal Study." Arch Intern Med., 2009; 169 (15): 1364-1371

Susan G. Komen for the Cure

Your valuable donation will contribute $1 per ounce to support Susan G. Komen for the Cure

Prolacta Bioscience® has pledged to contribute $1 to the fight against breast cancer for every ounce of qualified milk we collect. Susan G. Komen for the Cure was chosen as the recipient of this contribution because of their admirable work in fighting breast cancer.

Minimum Contribution: $25,000
Program Active: Year round

Visit Komen Website