In honor of International Women’s Week, UCSF is proud to partner with Mothers’ Milk Bank California to host a human milk drive celebrating generosity, care, and the collective power of lactating birth parents supporting families during their most vulnerable moments.
Mothers’ Milk Bank California is the oldest continuously operating nonprofit milk bank in North America, dedicated to meeting the critical need for donor human milk for premature and medically fragile infants. UCSF Health has been in partnership with Mothers’ Milk Bank California since 2012, helping ensure that lifesaving donor milk reaches babies who need it most.
Donating human milk reflects the profound impact breast and chestfeeding parents can have in nourishing and protecting the most fragile infants. Together, our community can make a meaningful difference for families when it matters most.
Human Milk Drive Event Details
Date: Saturday, March 7, 2026
Time: 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Location: UCSF at Mission Bay Child Development Center
727 Nelson Rising Ln, San Francisco, CA 94158
Get Pre-Screened for Easy Drop-Off
Birthing parents who have extra human milk to donate are encouraged to complete a brief 15-minute health screening in advance:
You can also sign-up when you drop-off your milk on March 7th.
Milk Donation Guidelines:
Please ensure donated milk meets the following criteria:
- Frozen
- Expressed within the last 9 months
- Minimum of 100 ounces per donation
UCSF Teams On-Site
More than a drop-off! Meet UCSF Healthcare and other professionals for supportive conversations, resources, and community care. Participating teams include:
- UCSF Family Services
- UCSF Nutrition and Food Services
- UCSF Family Health Care Nursing
- UCSF Women's Health Resource Center
Breast milk is considered the optimal source of nutrition for all infants. It contains a unique combination of nutrients, enzymes, growth factors, hormones, and immunologic properties. The ability to provide donor breast milk - whether as a bridge for mothers building their own supply, or in cases where it is not available at all - has been invaluable at UCSF. Donor breastmilk helps support our smallest and highest risk infants; it decreases their risk of necrotizing enterocolitis (severe inflammation of GI tract) and infection while improving their digestion and tolerance of feeds. Knowing that donor breast milk is available also helps decrease some of the stress parents experience in the NICU so they can focus on bonding with their infant. We're immensely grateful to the volunteers for their priceless contribution. - Maria Hetherton, RD, CSP, CSPCC, UCSF Pediatric Dietitian Supervisor
Mother's Milk Bank California Event page and flyer: https://mothersmilk.org/events/make-a-life-changing-impact-with-a-breast-milk-donation/
Questions?
Contact Caroline Carter, IBCLC by emailing caroline.wick@ucsf.edu or call 415-502-3154
