A couple in Long Island, New York, struggling amid the baby formula shortage, recently took it upon themselves to help others in the same situation.
According to Sheharyar Ali, his wife, Hina Ghani, was the reason behind a fundraiser that helped them provide formula to anyone who needed it, Fox Business reported Saturday.
The pair have a toddler and a three-month-old and Ali said the second baby was born in March not long after Abbott closed a plant due to contamination problems.
Ghani struggled to breastfeed because the infant was unable to latch, so they resorted to formula and Ali had to visit multiple places to find some, when the shelves were stocked.
Meanwhile, human milk banks felt an increase in demand and donations as the shortage wore on, Breitbart News reported May 31.
“In addition to milk banks, Facebook groups have sprouted up where mothers are giving breast milk to other parents in need, but the milk is not screened for contaminants,” the outlet continued.
After a while, Ghani had enough and Ali said she felt like a terrible parent, noting “She’s like, ‘I can’t feed my son. And now … there’s no formula … What’s going to happen to my son?'”
Ali decided to take action, realizing so many other parents were being forced to use formula. He used their foundation called Toys for Eid to help stock shelters in Nassau County in May.
A photo posted on May 23 showed a group of people standing behind several boxes full of baby formula:
It did not take long before they raised almost $5,000, and citizens also began shipping formula items from all over the nation. The response to the effort was “very overwhelming,” according to Ali.
He later worked with the local Department of Social Services and gave more than 250 items to eleven shelters that cared for babies.
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