Excerpted from Boston Sunday Globe June 1, 08
CAREERS - The Story of My Start-Up
Seven entrepreneurs talk about late nights, no paychecks, and big dreams.
By Janice O'Leary | June 1, 2008
NAOMI BAR-YAM Executive director and founder of the Mother's Milk Bank of New England (NEWTONVILLE)
THE BRAINSTORM: I was first exposed to milk sharing when my oldest son was born, and we were living overseas. He was only 4.5 pounds, so he was in the NICU. Another mom didn't have enough milk, and I was the only mom with extra, so I shared. Then, about seven years ago, my dad was very sick. There had been anecdotal evidence that mother's milk can be palliative for cancer. I thought I would arrange for a milk bank to send him some, but I discovered there were none in New England. The first milk bank in the US was in Boston; it was downright embarrassing that there wasn't one [now].
FIRST STEP: I put together a listserv of 100-plus people interested, and immediately got many e-mails from people who wanted to donate. We decided the bank would be community based, rather than part of a hospital. Then we had to apply for nonprofit status.
THE FINANCING: Everyone's volunteering, and we're doing some private fund-raising. We've submitted grant proposals, too. Once it starts, we don't pay the moms for milk, but there are some processing fees for testing that will eventually cover operating costs. [She recently won $10,000 as a winner of the monthly best business contest from ideablob.com.]
HOW IS SHE DOING NOW? [The] plan now is to set up a temporary location to receive processed milk from another bank in Ohio, then fund-raise and set up a permanent lab. Initially, we'll send donors to Ohio for screening. Then we'll take our own donors here and process the milk ourselves. At the same time, we're trying to make people and physicians aware that banked milk is still good. Banked milk does cut back on some nutrients; immune factors in particular become compromised. Ideally, it should be used as a supplement. But compared to formula, banked milk is much better for babies. We'll be running this summer and accepting donations.
(http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/magazine/articles/2008/06/01/the_story_of_my_start_up/?page=full)}