Donating formula, coupons

hi all,
I have a bunch of formula (from the hospital) and I get a lot of coupons for formula and diapers etc. I have previously tried giving them to needy people thru craigslist but recently CL here has just been a mess with people accusing each other of all kinds of stuff so I'm leary!
Is there some place I can just drive to and drop off the formula and leave the coupons? I really don't need the hassle of emailing back and forth and trying to arrange pick up etc.
I don't want to see these go unused either.
Any help is much much appreciated,
Thanks,

You could always find a church that runs a food pantry and give it to them, I am sure they would be happy to give it to a family that is truly in need of it. I am sure you could find a food pantry not to far from you so it wouldn't be to inconvenient

I donated formula and bottles to a crisis pregnancy center, and they were THRILLED to get it.

Good idea! How did you find one?

Not sure how you find one, maybe the phone book or internet? You could do a search for charities specific to your area. Another option is if you know of a group home for children in your area. I donated formula to one in our area that is run by a family (started by a woman many years ago whose family wants to continue her work). They care for "atypical" children, many born to moms addicted to alcohol, drugs, etc. I donated my maternity clothes and some baby clothes to a center for teenage mothers. I knew about this through my Mom who was in community relations in her job. She said some of the girls are as young as 10 - so sad and so hard to believe. They support the girls' decision to keep their babies. They teach parenting skills and help them finish school, get jobs, etc. It is affiliated with a church.

Hope you find a worthwhile cause. They are always in need and are so grateful. These places are good ideas for disposable diapers, too.

You can also just post in the Bargains forum that you have them and give them to someone here who might need to save a few bucks.

A local church, food pantry or mom's group might be another place to unload them.

I'm always checking the Bargains forum for Enfamil coupons, but felt that OP wanted to donate to a charity so I didn't mention it. If you are just wanting to get rid of them without throwing them out that is another good option. I had no intention of formula feeding and now am quite frustrated that it worked out this way for me. Formula is very expensive, esp. hypoallergenic formula, and I think we all try to find ways to save a few dollars. However, I know a lot of charities need them way more than I do.

See if there is a Crisis Pregnancy Center in your area...

Hi all,
Thanks for the suggestions - I really like the idea of donating to a pregnancy crisis center.
In case I can't find any charities, I will post on the Bargains board.
Thanks again,

Donating them to shelters is an idea. I usually just toss them these days.

Keep in mind, though, that one reason that formula is expensive is because they give out the coupons, and they give out the coupons to entice people to use (their) formula over breastfeeding or using another formula.
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shannon
not-even-pregnant-yet-overachiever
trying-to-conceive :)
PREGNANT! EDD 6/9/03
mama to Jack 6/6/03
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_sapphire_24m.gif[/img][/url]
Breastfeeding 2 years & counting

Deinitely try a pregnancy crisis center or maybe even an adoption agency. The one we work with was thrilled to have extra coupons and formula when DS wasn't tolerating Similac. They gave some to new adoptive parents and some to women who decided to parent their child.
Traci
~Connor's Mom 02/2004~
Agency paperwork completed - waiting for #2!

I'm not sure I understand your point. If a charity can use any brand of formula, what difference does it make which coupons she gives them? I think it's a shame to toss them. Yes, formula is expensive, but unfortunately there is nothing we can really do about it. We are very fortunate in this country to have the many different types of formula that we do. There are many babies without mothers that are taken care of by caregivers who have no other choice. What about adoptive mothers? Should they feel bad because they use formula? Then there are mothers like me who had no intention of ever using formula. I bought a pump and all the BF supplies I needed when I was pregnant and threw out many coupons. DD's suck was so weak that I had to pump and feed her with a syringe and the most I could ever pump was 2 - 3 ounces and often I would only get one to two. I had to supplement with formula then eventually found out that DD had a milk protein allergy. We have had her on hypoallergenic formula for 4 months now and she is thriving. Formula saved my DD's life and I use coupons as often as I can to save money. I desperately wanted to breastfeed and cried many tears over my failure. I often feel inferior enough without people being judgemental over my using formula. I'm actually embarrassed when I buy it and use it in public. Breastfeeding mothers may be asked to leave a public place to nurse, but I have had my share of dirty looks because I am mixing formula in public and bottle feeding.

I don't think formula companies give coupons to discourage BF, but to get you to use their brand.

I'm a little upset because the OP wanted to do something useful with the formula she didn't need. She wasn't directing them to mothers who could be breastfeeding or promoting a certain brand.

Please try to remember that some of us would prefer to breastfeed, but life hands us lemons sometimes and we do the best we can. I thank God everyday for allowing me to provide for my DD in the manner that is best for her. Sometimes an innocent comment can be very upsetting and may sound judgemental even if it's not intended that way.

Kim, that was not my intention. My point was that the prices are artificially high because of the coupons and samples, so using coupons and samples keeps the prices high, no matter who uses them. If a charity uses them, then when that charity buys formula, they are paying an inflated price. Also, the price of generic formula is usually cheaper than the price of name-brand formula with coupons, and so charities should not require coupons and this may in fact promote more money spent as users may feel obliged to continue the expensive name brand formula that was initiated.

The formula companies *do* market formula in such a way as to encourage more formula use; it's been documented by numerous people and described in books like "Milk, Money, Madness" and is one of the reasons behind the WHO Code. The coupons and samples are specifically designed to entice women during decision-making times and times of doubt (like growth spurts).

That doesn't mean that there is not a need for formula in some situations (at least, in the US -- apparently, Brazil has such a robust milk bank system that in their capital, not a single baby received artificial formula according to a post on the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine listserv). Nor does it say anything about the mothers who use formula. The issue is that providing coupons or formula samples to women in vulnerable situations (like pregnant women at a CPC) can undermine/sabotage what would otherwise be successful breastfeeding. That's why I no longer give them away, particularly in situations where it may derail normal breastfeeding. What others do with them is up to them; I was just offering my opinion on the matter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
shannon
not-even-pregnant-yet-overachiever
trying-to-conceive :)
PREGNANT! EDD 6/9/03
mama to Jack 6/6/03
http://www.gynosaur.com/assets/ribbons/ribbon_sapphire_24m.gif[/img][/url]
Breastfeeding 2 years & counting

Shannon,

OK, I understand your point and I'm sorry if I overreacted. As you can probably tell, this is a very sensitive subject for me. I know that generic formula is cheaper, but some infants cannot tolerate it or they have special needs, like my DD, that generic cannot meet. If I want to save money, but don't want to encourage higher pricing, then I am in quite a quandry. I have literally saved over $100 dollars in 4 months by using coupons, because DD needs Nutramigen which is one of the highest priced formulas out there. Just today I bought three cans and complained to DH about the cost. I told him that this stupid formula is so expensive and that is just another reason why I wanted to breastfeed. Not the most important reason, but one nonetheless. I think he is probably tired of hearing my reasons for wanting to breastfeed, but he is rather patient with me about it.

I probably don't notice that formula companies market to encourage more formula use because I rarely read their information. I do notice that all the literature I have received states that breastfeeding is best, but here are your options. I am so for breastfeeding that I probably look at that differently than someone else who may not care one way or the other and will only do what is easiest for them.

I understand not providing these things to women in vulnerable times, but what about those charities that provide for unwanted babies like the group home I mentioned above? I donated samples to them that I couldn't use and I'm sure many of their infants require special formula that generic cannot provide. Yes, if they use the coupons, they are paying an inflated price, but it is inflated anyway. The only way to change that is to get everyone to stop using them and that is not likely to happen. Personally, I would still provide them to a charity, but that is just my opinion.

Kim, I just wanted to say ITA with you and understand your frustration because we faced similar problems breastfeeding, and even though DD is almost a year old, I'm not over it. I know you have to do what is best for you and your baby, but it hurts, nonetheless.

Additionally, I don't think it's realistic to assume that by donating coupons to a CPC that we are assisting in sabotaging what would otherwise be successful breastfeeding. As you said, some of the mothers there are 10 years old, addicted to drugs, etc. In that type of situtation, it seems that there are so many other challenges to parenting, that formula is the least of the problems.

I also think your idea of donating to a CPC is a great one. I was just dropping my samples off at a food pantry.

Val
Mom to Madeline
7/28/04

hi all,
i found a pregnancy crisis center and they are thrilled to be getting formula etc. so thank you for suggesting this. i would never have thought of it. they take all coupons and any other used baby stuff.
now all my unused coupons have a good home :)
thanks,

Thanks for posting this question. I was wondering myself. People had some good suggestions, so I'll look for a pregnancy crisis center near me for donations too.

So glad you found a worthy cause!! I'm sure they are ever so grateful!