Future home of Mother’s Milk Bank of the Western Great Lakes in Elk Grove Village.
(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Mother’s Milk Bank of the Western Great Lakes, a nonprofit that provides pasteurized human milk to families and babies in need, is more than doubling its space with a move to a new, 15,000-square-foot facility in Elk Grove Village.
“We’re just going to be moving a little bit farther west in Elk Grove Village to a larger space, which will allow for not only more pasteurization, but also more community events,” said program manager Susan Urbanski.
The move will put the organization’s staff in a single building, which has become a necessity as demand has increased. The nonprofit plans to process thousands of ounces of milk from donors each day. Urbanski described the new space as “a game changer.”
She added that, since 2020, demand for human milk has more than tripled for pediatric patients at home as more doctors and patients realize the benefits of human milk.
“Human milk has all sorts of things that are not able to be replicated,” Urbanski said.
Mother’s Milk Bank serves over 50 local hospitals and hundreds of families throughout Wisconsin and Illinois.
Milk donations are collected from healthy, lactating parents — who are screened. Milk is then pasteurized to eliminate viruses and bacteria, and it’s tested before distribution.
“We can’t do what we do without the support of the generous moms all over Wisconsin and Illinois who donate their milk,” Urbanski said.
