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 before baby turns 2 years old and donated within 8 months at the time of drop off.
We recommend donating the oldest milk first. Donating milk older than 8 months may not be usable due to processing time. The age of milk accepted may change depending on milk inventory and demand. While infrequent, changes in milk age will be on the donate milk page of our website and in emails sent every 6 weeks requesting a health update. Checking for updates is recommended before dropping off milk for donation.
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. Checking with the depot prior to drop off is recommended for large donations.
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. The estimated amount and age of the milk help us plan for pick-ups to ensure we don’t miss your liquid gold. When it arrives at the milk bank, your donation is logged into our system for processing. The form is also a convenient way to get your Health & Lifestyle Update (HLU) done for ongoing donors.
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.
Once approved, all accredited milk banks are required to do health & lifestyle follow-ups with donors. This includes the time it takes from the initial interview to the final approval and any ongoing donations after dropping off milk. Health and Lifestyle Update (HLU) forms are sent every 6 weeks by email and text so your milk can continue to be processed. Alternatively, by dropping off a donation, completing a Milk Drop Form includes the health & lifestyle update and can approve your milk for another 6 weeks if no follow-up is needed. HLU requests will continue until you indicate you have made your final donation. Not receiving health and lifestyle updates after 2 requests indicates you have completed your donations and can be retired as a donor. 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.
- Fill bags up to their capacity. Overfilling bags tend to leak/break.
- 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. Once the milk reaches the milk bank it is logged into our system and entered as your donation. If you need information sooner, email us at donatemilk@mnmilkbank.org after allowing for some time after you drop off.
Accreditation guidelines for alcohol use are stricter than general use guidelines due to the premature and medically fragile babies who receive our milk. Alcohol is transferred into milk in high levels. If you drink alcohol, please record the date, and time and amount of alcohol that you drink. In order to donate, follow these guidelines or call the milk bank for more information.
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.