The baby formula shelves at local grocers are full of different types, sizes, and styles of formula, rated for newborns to growing toddlers.
In Spring 2022, that wasn’t the case. Stock dwindled. Shelves were barren. The baby formula shortage was real and it was here. And unlike similar shortages that were prevalent during the pandemic, there was no safe alternative when supplies ran out.
The toilet paper shortage, while inconvenient, could be worked around with other options. Uncomfortable, sure? But not dangerous. The shortage on chicken wings increased prices, but other edible options were readily available, chicken-based or otherwise.
But when the formula is gone, there’s no alternative. Sure, a decades old-recipe for homemade formula was shared numerous times online, but with nearly every doctor frantically waving their hands signaling no to the safety of that plan, it wasn’t a viable option.
If you, or no one you knew, parented small children, this may not have affected you in the slightest. But for those parents who lived through it, it was a nightmare scenario that came to life.
Breanna Dietrich of Wheeling was one such parent.
Her daughter was around nine months old when the shortage ramped up. Dietrich’s daughter was a little delayed in making the switch to solids, so they were still relying on formula as the basis for her nutrition.
Dietrich spent days shopping without success, frantically searching for her daughter’s formula. Every store she checked was out. She stood in her kitchen, down to her lost container of powdered formula, with no help in sight.
On April 27 of 2022, she decided to do something about it.
“I was standing in my kitchen, crying that we were almost out of formula,” Dietrich recalled. “The page started on April 2022; I created it that evening.”
That page she references is Ohio Valley Formula Help on Facebook, a place where area residents can come together to share who has what formula, where it can still be found, and what options are available.
A move born out of desperation, others quickly joined the group and began providing assistance to one another.
“Within a few days, the page had a couple of hundred members,” Dietrich said. “I did an interview with the News and that night, it just kept getting more people.
“Most joined from others adding them, or talking about it in the stores, or even some doctors were telling new parents about it.”
Pediatricians mentioned it to their patients? That tells you two things: (1) the shortage was a real, major issue affecting parents; and (2) the Ohio Valley Formula Help page was a great resource in a troubling time.
In terms of impact, consider this. Dietrich, also a member of MomsRising in West Virginia, took part in a roundtable discussion that included U.S. Assistant Secretary for Health, Admiral Rachel Levine.
The most important benefit, however, is how it helped Dietrich and fellow local parents navigate a difficult time.
Aside from posters offering formulas for sale or trade, what other benefits have come from the page? Have you met any of the parents from the page because they are members?
Besides just helping find formula it seems a new sense of community started. Everyone helped everyone. Even in stores most people would share what they had found with someone else in the store. I have met so many from the page. I am not hard to mistake. I always have bright-colored hair. These people I have met, most during the height of the shortage, would thank me. They would explain they didn’t know where to turn and then found out about my page. Now their child gets to eat.
Now that the shortage has lessened some, has participation died down any, or is it still strong?
Participation has died down … some. We still get on average 10 posts a day. I have started to share some other information on the page such as free food giveaways and other things for the kids.
How often do you have to deal with scammers? What do they usually try to pull off and how do you go about policing it?
Scammers were HORRIBLE during the worst of the shortage. I still deal with one now and then. Most are asking for you to send money for them to get formula. When this happens, the person is banned from the group. Other members are great at reporting posts or messaging me if they think something seems fishy. I will investigate anything that I can to make sure the page runs the right way.
Did you have any major struggles finding formula during the height of the shortages? Or anyone you are close with? How did you/they deal with that as a parent, not being able to find formula to feed their child/children?
My daughter was about nine months when the shortage started, and I started the page. Personally, I was very lucky and had support from family and friends who helped me buy formula in Ohio when I could find it. From 9-12 months, I was to use my WIC due to never finding my daughter’s formula in W.Va. WIC is one type of federal grant program that cannot be used over state lines. For so many this was extremely hard. I was lucky and I know that.
Did you hear of anyone having to do anything drastic during the shortage in order to feed their children because of the shortage?
I am really glad that, because of the page, I hadn’t heard of anything really drastic having to be done. I made sure and shared as much as I could about not making your own formula, no matter how many times the recipe had been shared from over 30 years ago. I had spoken with multiple doctors and people at WIC and made sure I had the right information to share. The page made it so parents didn’t have to resort to something drastic that could have been harmful. So many people banded together to help out.
