The Compassion Fund
Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast is on a mission to safely feed babies who require donor milk. As part of this mission, we strive to remove barriers to access. Powered by philanthropy, we offer a range of programs serving families in special circumstances, thereby promoting community, maternal, and infant health.
Critical Access Resource Equity Subsidy (CARES) Program
Our CARES program provides up to four weeks of milk, typically ten 100ml bottles per week, for families who qualify. This program is designed to support infants with serious medical conditions, as confirmed by a physician, in cases where there is also documented financial need.
Most of these infants are newborns with one or more of the following health conditions:
- abdominal wall defects
- hypoglycemia
- congenital heart disease
- organ transplantation
- necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC)
If your baby meets the medical requirements above, families may qualify if:
- You participant in WIC or SNAP
- You have Medicaid or state-sponsored insurance
- You live in subsidized housing
- You receive some other kind of public assistance
- You are experiencing an unexpected and/or urgent financial burden
To apply for assistance, please complete and submit the CARES Program application below.
Please note: This application requires financial documentation and a letter of medical necessity from your baby’s doctor. Applications are reviewed internally with support from our Medical Director, and members of our Medical Advisory Committee may be consulted if needed.
For more information, please email cares@milkbankne.org or call 617-527-6263, ext. 5.
Growing Infants for Tomorrow (GIFT) Program
Our hospital based milk subsidy program enables postpartum families to leave the hospital with donor milk as a short-term supplement while building a maternal milk supply.
Allowing families up to 10 bottles of milk to take home when discharged from participating hospitals, the GIFT program is for families who receive income based public benefits. Not sure if the hospital you are delivering at offers this program? We are happy to help.
Ready to inquire? Call 617-340-3497
Nourishing Empathy for Survivors and Tiny Tots (NEST) Program
While donor milk is largely restricted for use based on the medical requirements of the babies, there are a couple of family circumstances where we offer subsidized milk.
- When a mother passes away within the first few days or weeks of her newborn’s life, we provide up to 20 bottles of compassionate care donor milk. Surviving parents have described this gift as both an essential source of nutrition and a profound emotional comfort—calling it “the ultimate kindness from a village of loving, yet unknown, mothers.”
- When a mother is undergoing cancer treatment or is a cancer survivor and thus unable to breastfeed, we provide up to 20 bottles of compassionate care donor milk.
For more information email SAP@milkbankne.org
Please note: Donor milk is always triaged to serve medically fragile, hospitalized babies first. All programs are subject to availability.
