PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Baby2Baby, the national organization that has been at the forefront of providing relief to vulnerable families dealing with the U.S.’ baby formula shortage, today announced it will distribute 12,000 cans of formula to the greater Pittsburgh region by the end of this week. Distribution to hospitals, diaper banks, childcare centers and family resource centers across the area began yesterday, and was made possible through a donation from local Pittsburgh resident Thomas Tull and his wife Alba through their philanthropic organization, the Tull Family Foundation.
"The formula shortage is still an absolute emergency for the families we serve," said Baby2Baby Co-CEOs Norah Weinstein and Kelly Sawyer Patricof. "Our mission at Baby2Baby is to provide families with diapers, formula and other essentials that every child deserves, and that mission has become even more critical during this crisis. It has been horrible for every parent, but even more devastating for families living in poverty who don’t have the luxury of switching to a more expensive brand or access to multiple stores to find anything in stock. We are so grateful to Thomas and Alba Tull, and the Tull Family Foundation, for their extremely generous gift which is enabling us to provide hundreds of thousands of bottles of lifesaving formula to families in need across Pittsburgh."
“Like many other essential items, the baby formula shortage in this country has become a major crisis since the onset of COVID. It is unimaginable what parents, especially those living below the poverty line, are having to deal with,” said Cathy Battle, Executive Director of the Western Pennsylvania Diaper Bank. “We are seeing this heart wrenching crisis unfold every day and are incredibly grateful for Baby2Baby’s work and support. This distribution will help provide relief to many babies and families in need in the greater Pittsburgh areas.”
Baby2Baby distributes to foster care agencies, hospitals, clinics, homeless and domestic violence shelters and resource centers. Since the pandemic began, it has delivered more than 300,000 cans. At the start of 2022, even before the recalls, they had requests for over 8.8 million cans. The organization has been using all of the resources at its disposal to support families impacted by the current shortage – including working directly with their wholesale partners to have formula made for a fraction of the retail cost and distributing donations from formula companies that weren’t impacted by the recalls. They have already sent formula to Pennsylvania, California, Virginia, Florida, Michigan, Alabama and South Dakota, and have more on the way to communities in need across the country.
About Baby2Baby:
Baby2Baby, a non-profit organization led by Co-CEOs Kelly Sawyer Patricof and Norah Weinstein that was named #1 nonprofit on Fast Company’s World’s Most Innovative Companies List for 2022, provides children living in poverty with diapers, clothing and all the basic necessities that every child deserves. In the last 11 years, Baby2Baby has distributed more than 240 million items – more than any organization of its kind – to children in homeless shelters, domestic violence programs, foster care, hospitals and underserved schools as well as to children who have lost everything in the wake of disaster. Since the COVID-19 crisis began, Baby2Baby has distributed more than 150 million items to families in need, serving over one million children across the country impacted by the pandemic.
To learn more about Baby2Baby please visit: baby2baby.org