PRESS RELEASE: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Morgan County Health Center and The Milk Bank Open Milk Depot and Milk Express
Programs expand access to safe donor breast milk; support infant health and health equity
Versailles, Mo. July 27, 2026 — The Morgan County Health Center has partnered with The Milk Bank to open a Milk Depot and Milk Express site. These programs will expand access to lifesaving pasteurized donor human milk for infants throughout Morgan County.
“It has been a longstanding dream of mine to provide these essential services to our community,” said Brittany Beckmann, WIC Designated Breastfeeding Expert at Morgan County Health Center. “In my interactions with breastfeeding families, conversations about milk donation and the breast milk shortage have come up frequently. Our mission statement—Connecting the Community to Healthy Choices—reflects our dedication to public health by creating a space where mothers can both donate breast milk and purchase pasteurized donor human milk, enhancing maternal and infant health. I truly hope that this resource will improve breastfeeding support and elevate breastfeeding rates in our community.”
The Milk Depot makes it easy for approved milk donors of The Milk Bank to drop-off donations of excess frozen breast milk. Donations from approved donors are accepted Monday through Thursday between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., and on Fridays between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Milk donors should call ahead of drop-off at 1-573-378-5438 ext 1004.
The Milk Express site is a convenient location where parents and caregivers can pick up orders of pasteurized donor human milk from The Milk Bank. Quick access to safe donor milk gives parents peace of mind when it is needed as a medical treatment, to bridge a gap early in postpartum, or to help meet breastfeeding goals.
This is the first Milk Express and Milk Depot to open in Morgan County. “Families in Morgan County now have local access to both a Milk Depot and Milk Express—removing barriers and making it easier than ever for parents to donate life-saving milk and for vulnerable infants to receive it,” said Freedom Kolb, CEO of The Milk Bank. “By bringing both services together in one location, this partnership strengthens our reach across Central Missouri and ensures more babies have access to the nutrition they need to survive and thrive.”
For more information on how to place an order for pasteurized donor human milk or become an approved milk donor, please contact The Milk Bank at 317-536-1670 or visit themilkbank.org.
About The Milk Bank
The Milk Bank is a non-profit tissue bank dispensing more than 700,000 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 17.9 million feedings of safe human milk to infants born too small, too sick, or too soon.
Review The Milk Bank’s 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.
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