A new breast milk collection depot in Campbell River is already making a difference, with its first donor stepping forward just months after opening.

Quadra Island mother Freya Bellemare became the first person to donate to the Donor Milk Collection Depot, which launched in the fall.

She says she often had extra milk after feeding her six-month-old son and decided to donate after learning about the program.

After completing the screening process, she began donating, contributing about 80 ounces, or close to 2.5 litres, so far.

Donated milk can play a critical role for premature infants and babies with medical conditions, providing antibodies that help fight infection and disease.

Once collected, frozen donations from Campbell River are sent to the Provincial Milk Bank in Vancouver, where they are pasteurized and distributed to neonatal intensive care, maternity, and pediatric units across British Columbia.

The Campbell River depot builds on a growing network across the Island Health region.

The first donor milk collection site opened at Victoria General Hospital in 2016, followed by Nanaimo Regional General Hospital in 2019.

Since then, donors at those two locations have provided more than 3,600 litres of milk to infants in need.

Bellemare says she hopes others who are able will consider donating, calling it a simple way to help babies who need it most.

For more information, visit Island Health.