About - Mother's Milk Bank

WELCOME TO MOTHERS' MILK BANK

Mothers Milk Bank is Making Breast Milk Available to as Many Families as Possible!

About Us

It’s Simple. It’s Safe. It’s the Best for Babies!

Welcome to the Mother’s Milk Bank of San Jose. We are here to help you:
if you are a mother who wants to donate your extra breast milk to medically vulnerable infants, a parent in need of mothers’ milk for your child, a health practitioner looking to collaborate, if you are grieving the loss of a child, we are here to help you.

The San Jose Mothers’ Milk Bank (MMB) is the oldest operating milk bank in North America and is the only non-profit organization (501 (c)(3) of its kind in the state of California. The Milk Bank was founded in October of 1974 as the result of medical need for human milk to feed premature infants. The San Jose Mothers’ Milk Bank has been a licensed tissue bank since 1986 in California and subsequently in Maryland in the year 2000.

The San Jose Mothers’ Milk Bank is committed to provide quality services in California and other Western states. Milk banks, when affiliated with the Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA), are safe, certified, and have a legacy of meeting the needs of the most vulnerable populations. They address the issues of equity and social justice for women, babies and families. The San Jose Mothers’ Milk Bank provides quality services to over 80% percent of California’s NICU’s and serve eleven hospitals in other states in the USA.

Mission: Helping babies thrive by making donated human milk safe and accessible.

Our Vision: Every baby in our region has access to safe human milk to contribute to the best start in life.

Welcome to our community of care, donate milk and save lives, and spread the news of remarkable service in your community! To DONATE: 1-877-375-6645

Our Oath:

We promise to stand behind the very real science that breastmilk is best for all babies, and to act as advocates for babies in need, or simply in need of breastmilk.
We know that certified, donated breastmilk in compliance with HMBANA is the safest and healthiest for babies.
We promise to support all mothers who aim to breastfeed.
We promise to support families, fathers, foster parents who need mothers milk.
We promise to be of comfort, support and honor all mothers (and families) grieving the loss of a child.
We believe in a planet which thrives utilizing breast milk: plastic free, donated and approved milk the most empowering way for babies to thrive, naturally.
We believe in alleviating illness and hunger whenever possible through the collection and distribution of breastmilk to hospitals, families and caring communities.
We believe that people, society and the planet benefits from breastmilk brining balance on a systemic level.

History

Milk Banks, when affiliated with the Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA), are safe, certified, and have a legacy of meeting the needs of the most vulnerable addressing the issues of equity and social justice for women, babies and families under or at the poverty line. Mothers’ Milk Bank distributed over 551,000 ounces in 2017 to 114 hospitals, including those located in Washington, Arizona, Idaho, Connecticut and Maryland.

The Mothers’ Milk Bank of San Jose, operating since 1974, is a charter member of the Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA). Our standards of processing donated breast milk is the gold standard of operation for milk banking organizations. In 2017, The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) stated in their report “Donor Human Milk for the High-Risk Infant: Preparation, Safety, and Usage Options in the United States” that: “(HMBANA) Donor milk banks represent a safe and effective approach to obtaining, pasteurizing, and dispensing human milk for use in NICUs and other settings

It’s Simple. It’s Safe. It’s the Best for Babies!

Board Members

Dr. Ronald Cohen, MD

Director, Dev. & Beh. Unit & Interm. Care Nursery at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, Clinical Professor, Pediatrics—Neonatal and Developmental Medicine. Ronald Cohen, MD, is the medical director of the intermediate intensive care nursery at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford and a clinical professor of pediatrics at Stanford University School of Medicine. A long-term proponent of the benefits of a breast milk diet for prematurely born babies, Dr. Cohen has authored more than 50 papers, including “Cultured of Holder-Pasteruized Donor Human Milk After Use in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit” (on which Mothers’ Milk Bank Executive Director Pauline Sakamoto served as co-author) and, “Feeding Premature Infants: Why, When, and What to Add to Human Milk.” Dr. Cohen continues to conduct research on the benefits of breast milk and advises the Mothers’ Milk Bank and the Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA) on safety and appropriate uses of banked milk.

Crystal Ciancutti, President

Crystal’s first interaction with the Mothers’ Milk Bank was when she donated milk while breastfeeding her first son. She has spent her career in tech as an senior executive working at Airbnb, iTunes, Netflix, Shutterfly and a smattering of small startups and appreciates the opportunity to lend her product sensibility and business experience to MMB. Crystal received her B.S. from Carnegie Mellon and her MBA from M.I.T.

Sarah Mitchell, B. Kin., D.C, Secretary

Sarah is a board certified Chiropractor with a combination of health and executive management experience in the Health sector. She is a member of the MMB Board, and brings her extensive experience in sales and marketing, infant sleep expertise and business development in that space, and passion for growing non-profit organizations with integrity and compassion.

Susan Crowe MD, Member

MD, OB/GYN Director, Outpatient Breastfeeding Medicine Services at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford OB Clinic Susan Crowe, MD, is an obstetrician at Stanford who is a long-term champion of breastfeeding. She is enthusiastic about increasing every newborn’s access to breast milk through quality maternity care practices and outpatient support of lactation. As a former donor to the milk bank, she brings both medical and donor perspectives to the Mothers’ Milk Bank Board.

Donna Mracek, Member

Chief Operating Brain, eBrains, Inc. Donna Mracek brings her online marketing savvy to the Milk Bank’s donor outreach efforts. She has helped local, national and international brands find their customers for 23 years. In her role of Chief Operating Brain at eBrains, inc, Donna oversees the operations of client services, online/permission marketing as well as finance and human resources.

Cameron Prescott, CPA, Treasurer

Senior Audit Associate, Frank Rimerman + Co. Cameron Prescott brings a level of watchfulness and enthusiasm honed during his four plus years practice as a CPA at Frank Rimerman + Co. auditing non-profit financials. He looks to apply this know-how to support the growth goals of the Mothers’ Milk Bank with the hope that the milk bank will become increasingly valued in our society, providing breast milk to those in need, at a cost that is significantly lower than that of the for profit entities in the industry.

Jeanie Suzuki

Retired VP Business Operations, Integrated Materials; VP Worldwide Customer Operations, Ultratech Stepper The moment Jeanette Suzuki closed the door on her years as the VP of Business Operations at Integrated Materials and VP of Worldwide Customer Operations at Ultratech Stepper she upped her volunteerism with the Mothers’ Milk Bank, bringing her years in manufacturing and quality to guide growth and expansion. For years, she worked with her company to set aside shipping materials such as boxes and bubble wrap to help the Mothers’ Milk Bank keep its fees as low as possible. Jeannie supports the research and implementation of new ideas to improve the product quality and production efficiencies so that mothers’ milk is more easily available and affordable for all babies who need it.