TN mom helps hundreds of moms struggling to find baby formula

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - One stay-at-home mom is on a mission to help mothers struggling to find formula for their babies.

And after just one month, she’s helped connect hundreds of moms to formula all over the country - many of them from Alabama.

“I started on May 17th. I thought, ‘Oh, I’ll help a couple dozen moms.’ And 28 days later, 800 moms later, it’s turned into something way bigger than I had anticipated,” said Lucy Riles, founder of “Life of Mom.”

Riles is a Tennessee mother of four, an author, and now she’s part of a growing mission to help mothers desperately searching for baby formula.

“It started with me going into a CVS to pick up something, and all the baby formula was gone,” she said. “And my kids don’t need baby formula, so it doesn’t affect me. I had heard about it on the news, but to actually see it, I was gutted.”

So, she posted her experience on her blog “Life of Mom,” which she describes as more of a virtual community to celebrate and support mothers.

“And that kind of spurred a lot of comments,” said Riles, “and a lot of moms messaging saying, ‘I’m desperate. I need this formula.’”

Lucy said the moms were from Alabama, Louisiana, Tennessee, Mississippi and more.

They all needed specific formula that they can’t find in their local stores.

“I put out the call on Facebook, on my Facebook page Life of Mom. I’d say, ‘Hey, I need these types of formulas. If you have access to them, email me. If you need formula, email me.’ And I also ask for donations so that people who want to help can contribute monetarily and cover the cost of the formula and the shipping,” Riles said. “So, there’s no financial burden on the moms receiving the formula or sending it.”

And after a few weeks, the Life of Mom Facebook page is filled with pictures of smiling babies with their new shipment of formula.

Riles said it proves the power of moms on a mission.

“I have these, I call them “angels among us.” Because there are all these moms willing to just help complete strangers. Moms from across the country,” Riles said. “And nobody cares, ‘Oh, I’m not sending to that red state. I’m not sending to that blue city.’ Nobody cares about politics. Everything has become so political in this world. All we care about is feeding these babies.”

If you’re in need of formula or have formula you’d like to donate, you can email lucy@lifeofmom.com.

If you want to make a monetary donation, you can click here.

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