Winnipeg Harvest needs $100K for baby formula
Since its inception in 2007, Feeding Hungry Babies program has raised more than $1.5 million
Winnipeg Harvest is in urgent need of donations to buy baby formula.
The food bank is aiming to raise $100,000 for its Feeding Hungry Babies program, which buys infant formula, the only type of food that Winnipeg Harvest purchases — all other food distributed by Winnipeg Harvest is donated.
"Despite the generous food donations by individuals and businesses in Manitoba, there is never enough infant formula to meet demand," stated a news release from the food bank.
Winnipeg Harvest spends $200,000 a year to purchase infant formula and shares it with an average 1,600 infants a month through their families. Since its inception in 2007, the Feeding Hungry Babies program has raised more than $1.5 million.
"Infancy is such a critical time for growth and development. Proper nutrition is absolutely essential for babies to get off to a healthy start," Joyce Slater of the University of Manitoba department of human nutritional sciences stated in the news release.
"They require the key vitamins and minerals in breast milk, but if mothers can't breastfeed, these nutrients need to be provided through high-quality breast milk substitutes such as infant formula."