How an Iowa-native Olympic Champ Is Helping Moms in the Baby Formula Shortage
Olympic gold medalist gymnast (and Des Moines-native) Shawn Johnson East is doing her part to help her fellow moms during the baby formula shortage.
According to her Instagram, she teamed up with her husband Andrew East to create BabyFormulaExchange.com.
The website is exactly that. It's a place for parents who do have baby formula to connect with parents who are in search of it. You have the option to click on the specific formula that you either have and are willing to send to a parent in need or you can click on the formula that you are in search of.
Parents can connect with those who need the various formulas and ship the unopened formula to the parent in need.
Shawn (who has long been one of my favorite Olympians since she brought home two gold medals and a silver in 2008) has two kids- daughter Drew and son Jett.
Shawn said this in her Instagram story:
So last week I was trying to refill Jett’s formula, and I wasn’t able to find it anywhere. A friend of a friend actually connected me to her friend in Pittsburgh, who was able to find and ship it to me.
According to The Atlantic, nationwide 40% of baby formula is out of stock. There are three things behind this: bacteria, supply chain issues caused by COVID, and a trade policy. That last one is thanks to the FDA's strict regulations on baby formula, so it is illegal to bring most of it in from Europe.