The Blackwell Baby Cafe’ Milk Depot has accepted 871 ounces of breastmilk to be shipped to the New York State Milk Bank in Valhalla, N.Y.

Catherine Harrison, breast milk coordinator for Blackwell Baby Cafe’ Milk Depot, said the 871 ounces of donated breast milk will help the critically ill and low birth-weight babies. The milk is sent to hospitals throughout New York state by the New York State Milk Bank.

“We are so proud that the State Department of Health And Human Services has renewed our license with the New York State Milk Bank, to continue our efforts to receive human breast milk, for the critical and low birth weight babies,” Harrison said.

The New York State Milk Bank provides pasteurized donor human milk when a mother’s own milk is insufficient or unavailable. Human milk provides an ideal combination of nutrients, as well as important antibodies. These components cannot be completely replicated in any other source of nutrition. For premature and medically fragile babies, it can be a medical necessity.

The New York Milk Bank is licensed by state Department of Health and is accredited by the Human Milk Banking Association of North America.

Donors must complete a thorough screening of each potential donor with the milk bank staff, fill out a health and lifestyle application and provide written consent forms, receive healthcare provider verification the donor is in good health and be tested for infectious diseases.

Blackwell Babe Cafe Milk Depot hours are 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday or by appointment. A grant from the Chautauqua Regional Community Foundation helped the depot purchase a specified freezer we needed for storing the milk. The Blackwell Baby Cafe’ has been operating through volunteers since 2016 and its fiscal agent is the YWCA of Jamestown. The Baby Cafe is always accepting donations of all sorts.