LAKELAND, Fla. — The ongoing baby formula shortage is not only impacting mothers but organizations that help women and children.
The New Life Center for Family Preservation is an important resource for low-income mothers in Polk County, but right now their baby formula supply is completely gone.
Amanda Kelly could not wait to feed her 8-month-old, baby formula. The mother of two had been giving her son powered milk for the past five days, because it’s the only thing she could find.
“It still has all the same nutrition that regular milk would, but it doesn’t have vitamins and nutrients that the formula does for the baby,” Kelly said.
Though Kelly receives Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) benefits, she like mothers across the country, are trying to get their hands on a limited supply of baby formula.
“Supermarkets, different churches, nonprofit organizations,” Kelly said.
Tuesday, New Life Center for Family Preservation gave their very last cans of formula to Kelly.
“I could seriously cry right now, you have no idea,” she said.
New Life Center serves pregnant, homeless and low-income women in Polk County. The non-profit partners with the Dream Center of Lakeland to provide mothers with free baby necessities, including diapers and baby formula.
“We've got our baby food, some rice cereal and other treats but unfortunately, we don’t have any baby formula,” Founder and Executive Director of New Life Center for Family Preservation Carolyn Espina said.
The formula Kelly received was donated to the center Tuesday morning.
“Every Tuesday that we’ve been here, we’ve had at least one person ask for formula and we’ve had to say no sorry we don’t have it,” Espina said.
With many parents unable to find an adequate supply of formula, they now don't have any to give out to the mothers that rely on them.
“WIC is available which is a great community program here. I encourage all of the low-income women to go for that,” she said.
