Modern Rosies: Mothers Rally to Donate Life-Saving 'Liquid Gold'

SAN JOSE, Calif. – March 19, 2026 – Evoking the iconic strength of "Rosie the Riveter," a new statewide movement is calling on California mothers to power a different kind of production line—one that delivers life-saving nutrition to the state's most fragile newborns. Mothers’ Milk Bank California, the oldest operating nonprofit milk bank in North America, has launched its "We Can Donate It!" campaign, a modern-day call to action for breastfeeding and pumping mothers to donate human milk for premature infants.

The campaign, which aims to secure 500 donation pledges throughout March, draws a direct line from the women who built the nation's wartime arsenal to the mothers who can now protect its most vulnerable generation. "Women once stepped up to build the nation. Today, mothers are stepping up to protect its most fragile newborns,” said Jennifer Benito-Kowalski, President and CEO of Mothers’ Milk Bank California, in a statement announcing the initiative.

The Critical Need for 'Liquid Gold'

The urgency behind the campaign is underscored by a stark reality: nearly one in ten babies in the United States is born prematurely. For these infants, many of whom weigh only a few pounds and face a host of medical challenges in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), nutrition is a form of medicine. When a mother's own milk is unavailable or insufficient, donor human milk is not just the next best option—it is the clinical standard of care.

Leading medical bodies, including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the World Health Organization (WHO), strongly recommend pasteurized donor human milk for high-risk infants. The reason is its profound medical efficacy. Research has consistently shown that an exclusively human milk diet dramatically reduces the risk of necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a devastating and often fatal intestinal disease that primarily affects premature babies. According to studies, infants fed donor milk are up to 50% less likely to develop NEC compared to those fed formula.

Beyond preventing this specific disease, donor milk, often called "liquid gold," is packed with immunological properties. It contains a complex array of immunoglobulins, antimicrobial proteins, and beneficial human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) that help build a resilient immune system, promote healthy gut bacteria, and protect against a range of infections—a critical advantage for infants with underdeveloped defenses.

A Modern Call to Action, A Historic Inspiration

The "We Can Donate It!" campaign aims to translate this critical need into community action. By asking mothers to take the "Rosie Pledge," the milk bank is tapping into a deep cultural legacy of collective effort and female empowerment. The pledge is designed to be accessible, counting any mother who begins the donor screening process, schedules a milk drop-off at a collection center, or commits to donating 100 ounces within the month.

The campaign's imagery, inspired by the famous "We Can Do It!" poster, reimagines Rosie the Riveter for a new era. It reframes the factory floor as the home and the machinery as the breast pump, celebrating the unique power of mothers to produce a resource that cannot be manufactured. This historical parallel serves to highlight the significance of what can seem like a small, individual act, placing it within a larger narrative of public service and shared responsibility.

The goal of 500 pledges is ambitious but necessary. The demand for donor milk consistently challenges the available supply, and campaigns like this are essential to bridge the gap and ensure that NICUs across California have the resources they need.

From Donor to NICU: The Unseen Network of Safety

For many potential donors, the primary concern is the safety and integrity of the process. Mothers' Milk Bank California, accredited by the Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA), operates under a strict, multi-layered system designed to ensure every drop of milk is safe for a medically fragile infant. This process stands in stark contrast to the risks associated with informal, peer-to-peer milk sharing.

The journey begins with a rigorous donor screening that rivals the process for blood donation. Prospective donors complete a detailed medical and lifestyle history, secure consent from their healthcare providers, and undergo a blood test for a panel of infectious diseases, including HIV, Hepatitis B and C, and syphilis. Critically, donors are never paid, ensuring their motivation is purely altruistic.

Once milk is collected and delivered frozen to the San Jose facility, it is logged into a secure tracking system. The milk from several approved donors is often pooled to ensure a consistent nutritional profile. It then undergoes Holder pasteurization, a controlled heating process (62.5°C for 30 minutes) that eliminates harmful bacteria and viruses while preserving the majority of the milk’s vital bioactive and immunological components.

After pasteurization, a sample from every batch is sent to a third-party lab for bacteriological testing. Only after a batch is confirmed to be sterile is it cleared for distribution, frozen and shipped to hospitals and families with a prescription. This meticulous, FDA-regulated process ensures that the "liquid gold" arriving in the NICU is as safe as it is beneficial.

Transforming Outcomes in the NICU

The availability of a steady supply of donor milk has a transformative effect within the walls of the NICU. For neonatologists and nurses, it is a powerful tool to improve patient outcomes. By providing a bridge when a mother is unable to supply her own milk due to stress, illness, or separation, donor milk ensures the continuity of a human milk diet, which is crucial in the early days of life.

The benefits extend beyond the immediate health of the infant. Preventing just one case of NEC can save a hospital tens of thousands of dollars in surgical and extended care costs. One study found that the use of donor milk was associated with average cost savings of over $15,000 per infant. While there is a cost to processing and distributing donor milk, this research suggests it is a highly cost-effective intervention that can reduce the overall financial burden on the healthcare system and lead to shorter hospital stays.

For parents watching their tiny infant fight for life in an incubator, the availability of donor milk offers a profound sense of relief. It provides the comfort of knowing their child is receiving the best possible nutrition, a gift from another mother who understands the importance of this vital resource. Each donation, pledge, and ounce of milk contributes to this quiet but powerful network of support, ensuring that more premature babies not only survive but are given the chance to thrive.