Congratulations! You’re an Approved Milk Donor.
See below for complete details to ensure a smooth donation.
For your unique Donor ID# and exclusion date information, please see your approval email. For clarification on any other information, please reach out to donatemilk@mnmilkbank.org.
We can accept frozen breast milk that has been expressed and donated within 8 months at the time of drop-off and prior to baby’s second birthday. Donating milk older than 8 months may not be usable due to processing time.
We recommend donating the oldest milk first.
Changes to this time frame are infrequent. Current guidelines can be found on this webpage and in the routine health and lifestyle update emails.
Depots are milk drop-off sites where approved donors can bring their milk.
See locations at https://www.mnmilkbank.org/depots/. Locate the Depot where you plan to drop off and call the number to schedule a date and time. It may take 24-48 hours to hear back from a Depot Coordinator once you leave a message. Depot Coordinators are volunteers for the milk bank, and we are grateful for their help. Letting them know how much milk you anticipate bringing will help them plan for freezer space.
In addition to these depot locations, anyone is welcome to donate at our main site at 2833 Fairview Ave N. Roseville, MN 55113. You can drop off anytime without scheduling an appointment Monday-Friday, 8am-4pm (except major holidays). Donations of any size from approved milk donors are accepted at the Roseville location. Call 763-546-8051 with questions.
Each time you donate milk, fill out a Milk Drop-Off Form, or scan the QR code below to alert the milk bank of your donation.
If you do not live near a Milk Depot site and need assistance with getting your milk to us, please reach out by email to ann.bailey@mnmilkbank.org. As a Logistics Coordinator, Ann assists with other options for assuring your donation reaches the milk bank.
Accredited milk banks are required to maintain ongoing health & lifestyle follow-ups with approved donors. The link to this form is sent (via email and text) every 6 weeks since your last contact with the milk bank, including Milk Drop-Off forms. These will continue until you indicate you have made your final donation.
Donor IDs are retired when you indicate you have made your final donation or if we do not receive an updated health and lifestyle update after two requests.
You’ll receive a card with your total donation amount and handy tote bag as a thank you gift!
- Store milk in single-use, sterile breast milk pump bags or bottles.
- Please take care not to overfill bags as this can cause bags to leak and milk to be lost.
- No glass jars, ice cube/milk trays, zip bags, or containers not intended for breast milk storage.
- Date each bag or bottle with the date the milk was pumped using mm/dd/year.
- No scalded/heated milk before freezing or thawing and then re-freezing.
- Freeze within 4 days (less than 24 hours preferred) of pumping. If using the pooling/pitcher method, see guidelines below.
- No restricted medication or alcohol.
- Clean pump parts after each use.
- Do not combine milk pumped on different dates.
- Label the pooled pump date on the bag using mm/dd/year.
- Freeze milk within 24 hours.
- Do not add warm milk to refrigerated milk. Cool milk 3-4 hours first before combining.
- Clean pump parts after each use.
- Clean and sanitize pitcher after each use.
After your last donation you will receive a retirement email with the total amount donated. A card with the total amount donated and a handy tote bag will be mailed to you as a thank you gift.
Confirmations or proof of donations are not sent after each drop off. If you need information sooner, email us at donatemilk@mnmilkbank.org after allowing for some time after you drop off. Your donation volume is not entered into our system until it arrives at the milk bank.
Accreditation guidelines for alcohol use are stricter than general use guidelines due to the premature and medically fragile babies who receive our milk.
Please observe the following wait periods after your last sip of alcohol before collecting milk for donation:
• any amount up to 1 drink = 6 hour wait
• more than 1 drink = 12 hour wait
A “drink” is defined as 12 ounces of beer; 5 oz of wine; or 1.5 oz of liquor.
If milk is expressed prior to these defined waiting periods, please mark those bags with a big X and exclude them from your donation. If you consumed alcohol not following the guidelines/properly labeling milk or have any questions, email donatemilk@mnmilkbank.org.