NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) — A Long Island organization is doing their best to help parents affected by the recent shortage of baby formula.
On Wednesday, East Patchogue-based charity Angels of Long Island handed out one can of baby formula to families desperate to find some, like Rich Stack, father of an 8-month old.
“I was scraping the bottom of the can this morning,” Stack told WCBS 880. “I just had one of the premade little bottles left and I saw this and I came right over.”
Stack isn’t alone in his search for formula. Many other parents drive around all day in search of formula for their babies.
“Pretty much everybody's at the bottom of their can,” said Debbie Loesch, founder of Angels of Long Island. “They go to Target, Walmart, all these stores and they just cannot find them. Some children are on specific allergy ones and the things I'm hearing is that they're terrified, scared. This is something we should not run out of in America.”
The formula shortage is caused in part by a recent recall at Abbott which was forced to close its largest U.S. formula manufacturing plant in February because of contamination concerns.
Keeping formula on the shelf has been an issue for some time now because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Supply chain issues were affecting ingredients and labor and transportation and during lockdowns, parents were scrambling to stockpile.
Three months ago, the shortage became more dire as several major formula brands made by Abbott were recalled and a Michigan factory shut down after federal officials reported that four babies suffered bacterial infections after consuming formula from the facility. Two of the babies died.
“It’s very tough,” one parent told 1010 WINS. “She needs formula. It’s the only thing she drinks and eats.”
For babies who rely on special formulas for allergies or sensitive stomachs, the shortage is even more critical and some are seeking help anywhere they can.
“They've kind of reached out to as many people as possible and said ‘Is there anywhere, anybody that's getting rid of it? If you happen to head into a store and you see it, can you grab it for me?’” another parent said about her formula feeding friends.
White House press secretary Jenn Psaki said Monday that the Food and Drug Administration was “working around the clock to address any possible shortages.”
The FDA said on Tuesday it was working with U.S. manufacturers to increase their output and streamline paperwork to get more imports.
Experts are warning parents to not DIY recipes or water down formula to stretch the supply and instead try to contact food banks or doctor’s offices.
For now, the Angels of Long Island will keep doing their best to provide baby formula to parents in need.
"Yesterday, out of desperation, we got a few calls and we typically have stuff on the back shelves because we do daily sharing table," Loesch said. "So we wanted everybody to know that we're here and getting the word out so other families that maybe have or a store that has the stock could donate it, we're gonna continue to give it out while the shortage is going on."
The Associated Press contributed to the report.
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