As formula shortage wears on, social media has been a lifeline for families in need
Social media has been a lifeline for Kristen Wickham, of Piedmont, a 36-year-old mom whose 5-month-old son needs specialty formula.
The type of formula her baby needs was hard to find even before the nationwide shortage, spurred by the shutdown of a major factory.
And while many brands of formula have begun reappearing on shelves, moms like Wickham, whose babies need specialty formula, are still struggling to get what they need.
A shortage of toilet paper when the pandemic hit was one thing, Wickham said. Not being able to feed your baby is “a whole other ballgame,” she said.
Need formula? There's a baby formula shortage, but OKC-area resources are available to help
“That's our babies,” she said. “That's the future of our country. They need food, and this should never have happened.”
In her search for her son’s formula — a specific brand that’s suitable for babies with lactose sensitivity — she and her family have visited countless stores. They’ve driven from Newcastle, which is at least a 45-minute drive away, to Yukon, Mustang and all over Oklahoma City.
Wickham also has gotten by with kindness from strangers online. A woman Wickham had never met saw her Facebook post, found her son’s brand of formula at Walmart, and bought it. Wickham offered to pay for it, but the woman declined.
“She said, ‘No, I just want to bless your family, because I can't imagine not being able to find food for my baby,’” Wickham said. “I was bawling my eyes out.”
Coming together to help a community
A Facebook group, called Formula in OKC + Surrounding Areas, also has been a resource for Wickham.
The Facebook group is filled with pictures of formula aisle shelves at grocery stores in the Oklahoma City area so parents can scan to see if they spot the one they need. Parents also list formula cans they have for sale, ask other families to keep an eye out for their brand, or post which retailers have formula available to ship.
Allie King, 24, launched the Facebook group in May, just wanting to find a way to help other families.
When she had her son, who’s now 15 months old and no longer uses formula, King tried breastfeeding for about four months. But, she said, she and her son both struggled with it, and eventually they switched to formula.
“I resonate with other moms and families that have little ones (whose) main source of nutrition and food is formula,” she said. “That’s something that hits home for me, and I get it.”
King said she was heartbroken every time she went to the store and saw formula shelves “so completely empty.”
So she set up the group, hoping it would be a useful central point for help finding formula in the area. The group has taken off, reaching nearly 700 members in a matter of weeks.
“We're all having to come together and figure out what we can do to help each other as a community,” King said.
Still a struggle
Miki Farris, executive director of Infant Crisis Services in Oklahoma City, said in some ways the shortage seems to be easing, but in others, it’s still a struggle for families.
From January through May of this year, the nonprofit has served 8,957 babies — a 38% increase from the same time period last year.
Much of that increase is coming from more rural parts of central Oklahoma, Farris said. The nonprofit has two BabyMobiles — their mobile diaper, formula and food pantries — that travel to 18 counties in central Oklahoma.
“When we go to the smaller towns, the demand is definitely increased there,” she said, adding that there are fewer options in smaller communities to search for formula. “They may have one Walmart, they may not have a CVS or Walgreens. … They’re just more limited in smaller towns.”
Most babies that Infant Crisis Services serves are on Good Start Gentle, a milk-based formula made by Gerber, because the state’s WIC program has a contract with Gerber for that formula, Farris said. For that type of formula, the nonprofit has enough to last through August and expects to be able to order again through Gerber.
But it’s specialty formulas — for babies who have allergies, sensitive stomachs or intolerances — where there are still gaps, Farris said.
“The specialty formulas that were causing a lot of this issue are still in high demand, and the supply is low,” she said. “That's where the largest void is right now, specialty formula.”
More: OKC nonprofits serving infant needs see uptick after national baby formula shortage
Need help? Want to help?
Infant Crisis Services can help provide formula, food, diapers, blankets, clothing and other necessities by appointment. Call 405-528-3663 to schedule, and go to www.infantcrisis.org for more information.
There’s no income requirement to get help through Infant Crisis Services, Farris said.
"We're not discriminating on any basis at all,” she said. “If they can't find a formula, they can come to us. And if we don't have it, we'll tell them we don't have that. But if we do, we'll give them what we have.”
Infant Crisis Services is accepting monetary donations and donations of diapers, wipes, clothing and unopened, unexpired formula. Drop-offs can be accepted at the donor door from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday at 4224 N Lincoln Blvd. in Oklahoma City.
Donations can be made online, or checks can be mailed to the address above.
To join the Formula in OKC + Surrounding Areas Facebook group, visit this page.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma families find help on social media during formula shortage
