GE Appliances and Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast Come Together to Support Babies and Their Families Through Innovative Technology

LOUISVILLE, Ky.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--GE Appliances, a leading manufacturer of home appliances, today announced a transformative collaboration with Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing lifesaving pasteurized donor human milk to premature and medically fragile babies. The partnership is revolutionizing milk donation tracking and management and bringing critical support to vulnerable infants when it is needed most.

“This initiative is a game-changer for our organization,” said Deborah Youngblood, CEO of Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast. “The new system will allow us to track milk donations more efficiently, manage donor information effectively, and ultimately provide more life-saving milk to infants in need across the country.”

Studies show that breast milk is proven to decrease the rate of life-threatening disease for fragile newborns¹, improving the health of infants requiring NICU care. When a mother’s milk is unavailable, donor milk becomes the essential and often lifesaving alternative. However, staying connected with milk donors and beneficiaries, while keeping milk deliveries safe and readily available, posed a challenge.

Recognizing the need for a more efficient tracking system, the milk bank reached out to GE Appliances for assistance in implementing Salesforce’s cloud-based software. The objective was to improve the tracking of milk donations, manage donor screenings more effectively, and increase the milk available for families’ needs.

This collaboration unites GE Appliances' expertise in digital transformation and AI, and Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast’s commitment to providing essential support to families. Powered in part by Salesforce technology, the companies have created a streamlined and efficient system for tracking milk donations, managing donor screening, and improving milk distribution.

Since Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast began its work with GE Appliances and Salesforce, it has seen a 15% increase in milk production, enabling the non-profit to provide more milk for more families in need – and keep more infants healthy.

"GE Appliances is redefining how our business engages with communities, focusing on skills-based volunteerism to make a transformational difference," said Anne Limberg, Senior Principal Digital Technology Program Manager at GE Appliances. “We assembled an all-women, global team with expertise in technology and project management, to design a custom Salesforce platform tailored to the specific needs of Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast. This collaboration is a testament to how we engage differently as a company and how we can leverage our business relationships and expertise to support vital causes.”

Through access to Salesforce technology including Experience Cloud, Marketing Cloud, and Sales Cloud, as well as GE Appliances' existing Salesforce architecture and development expertise, Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast staff and volunteers are supported at every step, from collection and pasteurization to distribution to hospitals.

“Salesforce is committed to driving positive change through technology,” said Lori Freeman, VP and GM of Nonprofit at Salesforce. “We are thrilled to be able to work closely with GE Appliances and Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast to provide solutions that directly impact the lives of families and help ensure the health of vulnerable infants.”

In addition to the digital solutions, GE Appliances is also supporting Mothers' Milk Bank Northeast with essential cold storage units to ensure the safe preservation of donor milk for distribution.

1 Colaizy TT, Poindexter BB, McDonald SA, et al. Neurodevelopmental Outcomes of Extremely Preterm Infants Fed Donor Milk or Preterm Infant Formula: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2024;331(7):582–591. doi:10.1001/jama.2023.27693

About GE Appliances

At GE Appliances, a Haier company, we come together to make "good things, for life." We're creators, thinkers and makers who believe that anything is possible and that there’s always a better way. We’re a company powered by our people, made stronger through our diversity — allowing us to grow closer than ever before to our owners, anticipate their needs and enhance their lives.

About Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast

Mothers’ Milk Bank Northeast is a non-profit organization that collects, pasteurizes, and distributes human donor milk to premature and medically fragile infants. Providing more than 1.5 million essential feedings every year, the organization serves more than 100 hospitals in the northeast and plays a critical role in ensuring the health and well-being of vulnerable babies.