Last Updated 1 month by Amnon J. Jobi | Amnon Front Page

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Each week on Community Link, Carolene Mays takes a look at an organization or business that is making a positive impact on the community.

This week, Mays was joined by Freedom Kolb and Sarah Long of The Milk Bank, a non-profit devoted to foster better health for infants from donated milk.

Human milk is unique to our species, Clinical Director Long said. “It’s biologically designed to support humans and human babies. It’s not just nutrition. It really affords protective elements for lots and lots of different diseases and infections that many newborns may face,” she said.

Milk provides naturally occurring nutrition with vitamins and minerals. While formula can provide nutrition, it doesn’t give the infant’s immune system the same resources as human milk.

Indiana is one ranks among the top 10 worst states in the country for infant morality rates, “what that really means for us as a community is we’re losing about 11 babies a week,” Kolb, CEO of The Milk Bank, said.

While public health leaders are zeroing in on how to help families increase odds of survival, The Milk Bank has provided an estimated 15 million feedings to the community.

To learn more about The Milk Banks efforts to supply almost 90 hospitals across the Midwest and more information on how they test breast milk’s safety for the most fragile infants, watch the video above.