PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Lindsay McGuire
Assistant Director of Advancement – Branding & Outreach, The Milk Bank
Lmcguire@themilkbank.org
317-536-1670
The Milk Bank and SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital Host Milk Drive
5,345 ounces of frozen breast milk were donated at The Milk Bank’s Milk Depot, which will provide up to 16,035 feedings of pasteurized donor human milk to infants in the NICU.
St. LOUIS August 6, 2025 – SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital hosted its 4th annual milk drive in partnership with The Milk Bank on August 5 at their Milk Depot, a community-based milk drop-off location for donors screened by The Milk Bank.
17 approved milk donors of The Milk Bank came together to donate 5,345 total ounces of frozen breast milk during the one-day milk drive event. These donations will provide up to 16,035 feedings of pasteurized donor human milk to infants in the NICU. The donated milk is kept frozen until it is transported from the Milk Depot to The Milk Bank, where it is processed, analyzed, pasteurized, and distributed to fragile infants across the Midwest.
“Our 4th annual milk drive for The Milk Bank was a huge success,” said Melissa Liebhart, BSN, RN, IBCLC, RLC, Milk Depot site leader and Lactation Consultant at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital. “We saw 3 more donors this year versus last year, which resulted in a 87% growth in milk donations year over year from this milk drive. These donations will truly make a difference here, since SSM Health uses pasteurized donor human milk from The Milk Bank throughout all our birthing centers and special care nurseries in the St. Louis region.”
“Our milk donors are truly lifesavers,” said Freedom Kolb, CEO of The Milk Bank. “For premature infants, milk is not only nutrition, but medicine. We are grateful to our partners at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital and the entire SSM Health system for continuing to support this milk drive and invest in the healthcare of their tiniest patients.”
SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital Milk Depot first opened in 2012, making it The Milk Bank’s longest running Milk Depot in Missouri. Approved milk donors of The Milk Bank can use the Milk Depot by calling 314-268-2700 Ext: 2759 to make an appointment to drop-off donations of excess breast milk.
To keep up with the need for donor milk, The Milk Bank must screen more than 150 milk donors every month. Every ounce of milk donated can provide up to three feedings for premature infants. Those interested in becoming a milk donor can pre-screened or ask questions on eligibility by contacting The Milk Bank at (317) 536-1670 or visiting themilkbank.org/donate-milk.
About Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital:
Since 1956, SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital has offered the highest level of care as the country’s only free-standing, non-profit Catholic pediatric hospital. Located in St. Louis, MO, SSM Health Cardinal Glennon provides hope to thousands of children with complex conditions from Missouri, Illinois, and beyond. A member of SSM Health, one of the largest Catholic health care systems in the country, the 195-bed teaching hospital is staffed by SLUCare physicians affiliated with the Saint Louis University School of Medicine. Since 2013, U.S. News & World Report has recognized SSM Health Cardinal Glennon as a Best Children’s Hospital.
About The Milk Bank:
The Milk Bank is a non-profit tissue bank dispensing more than 600,000 ounces of pasteurized donor human milk to hospitals and families throughout the region every year. Since its inception in 2005, The Milk Bank has provided more than 15.6 million feedings of safe human milk to those who are often born too small, too sick, or too soon. The Milk Bank improves health outcomes for premature and ill infants, fosters better health for children, and decreases health care expenditures. The Milk Bank follows the strictest safety standards informed by the CDC and FDA and is a proud member of the Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA). Visit https://www.themilkbank.org/ to learn more.
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Review our press kit and for additional media inquiries, contact Lindsay McGuire, Assistant Director of Advancement – Branding & Outreach, at lmcguire@themilkbank.org or 317-536-1670 ext. 114.
To learn more about how The Milk Bank can serve infants in your community or to support The Milk Bank, visit themilkbank.org.
