Volunteer
Join our league of heroes!
You can contribute your time and talent to help improve the health and lives of preterm and ill infants.
- Work on the front lines with our pour team! You will work in groups of 3-4 in our lab, mixing and pouring donated milk for pasteurization. Involves standing for several hours at a time and lifting flasks of milk. Bonus: You get to “scrub in” and wear cool garb that makes you feel like you have a medical degree.
- Does tallying data make your heart sing? Like to count and add things? You can log frozen donated milk into our data tracking system.
- Help in the office. You can assist with mailings, data entry, special projects and events, or support for donor moms.
- Or if you don’t see what you’re looking for here, contact us.
We provide orientation and training. You can volunteer as often as fits your schedule: weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or just occasionally.
How to volunteer
Download our volunteer application (PDF) and volunteer agreement (PDF) and return both forms to Nikki by email, fax to 512-494-0880, or by mail to 2911 Medical Arts St., Suite 12, Austin, TX 78705.
Once approved as a Milk Bank volunteer, we’ll invite you to schedule your volunteer shifts online, through our web-based volunteer calendar.
More questions? See Volunteer FAQs.
Volunteer Superhero:
Stephanie Ashby
Stephanie Ashby, the Junior League of Austin's project coordinator at the Milk Bank through May 2010, has been a gift to our staff and the babies we serve!
Over the past two years, Stephanie has donated her time and skills to a number of special projects at the Milk Bank. She has provided crucial outreach support, connecting with our milk donor moms by phone to answer their questions and provide encouragement. She has taken the artistic and logistical lead on a "little project" that turned big - the creation of the Milk Bank's new exhibit board for use at events and conferences. She has helped us with mailings, so that our news reaches the mailboxes of our friends and supporters, and has helped troubleshoot spreadsheets and mail merges that help us track and share vital information. All the while, she has provided leadership and care for the Milk Bank's Junior League of Austin volunteers.
"What better way to take a break from life's hustle and bustle than to help give life and health to babies who are struggling to survive," Stephanie says. "I get such joy knowing that even the smallest amount of time I give is so important to these little ones."
For her many talents and her dedication to sharing them, we thank Stephanie from the bottom of our hearts!
Volunteer Superheroes: Ann McGinley & Alice Meikle
Alice Meikle and Ann McGinley are the Milk Bank’s power duo! Celebrating their fourth anniversary with us, Alice and Ann are approaching a combined 1,000 hours of volunteer service at the Milk Bank. Each has been honored as a Volunteer of the Year. And they often work together, pouring milk side by side in our lab.
Retired from their careers in dental healthcare and environmental regulation, respectively, Alice and Ann faithfully volunteer, week after week. Why? “I do it for all the babies!” Alice says. “I see my volunteer hours at the Milk Bank as simply an extension of the amazing service the donor moms are doing – and I’m just helping to process the milk so it can get to those who need it … It’s a fun place to spend six hours a week. Everyone is so appreciative of the time we give, and they always let us know it.”
“Our work can improve the future, one person at a time,” says Ann. “I feel blessed to be able to help. This is a great environment, I work with wonderful people, and each time I see a baby - or even a picture of a baby - who received donor milk, I feel that I am part of something truly meaningful.”
Thank you, Ann and Alice, for all you do!
