When disaster strikes, who helps ensure that infants and young children – some our most vulnerable after an emergency – are fed safely?

We have found that usually the answer is … no one.

Babies can’t help themselves. In an emergency situation, caregivers are overwhelmed, traumatized, and just trying to get by. Distribution sites and other relief organizations are overworked and understaffed. None of these people involved don’t know what they don’t know – and some of those things can make babies sick or worse.

We are working to fill the gap of safe infant feeding in emergency care.
Will you join us?

Resources for Families & Caregivers Videos and information about safely feeding your young child in an emergency situation.	Resources for Organizations Resources for recovery sites to train staff and share with families.	Training Programs Live & recorded training programs for emergency responders support safe infant feeding.

What is the SAFE Infant Feeding Team?

The SAFE Infant Feeding Team was born out of urgent necessity. In the wake of Hurricane Helene and widespread flooding in Western North Carolina in 2024, families with infants and young children faced unprecedented barriers to safe feeding. From disrupted water supplies to a lack of infant feeding expertise in disaster shelters, the gaps in emergency preparedness became painfully clear.

Our team emerged from Breastfeeding Family Friendly Communities (BFFC) and the North Carolina Breastfeeding Coalition, both long-standing leaders in lactation equity and maternal-child health. What began as a rapid-response effort to support families in disaster zones evolved into a dedicated network of infant feeding specialists, volunteers, and advocates. Together, we provided:

• Emergency sanitation kits for safer formula preparation.
• Peer and professional lactation support to help parents sustain breastfeeding during trauma.
• Training for shelter staff and responders on infant feeding in emergencies (IYCF-E).
• Informed peer-to-peer milk sharing coordination in partnership with local advocates.

The SAFE Infant Feeding Team continues to evolve to met the needs of families everywhere. Elements of this include expanding our capacity, developing innovative tools, and advocating for infant and young child feeding (IYCF) in disaster planning at state and national levels.

Today, SAFE focuses on building climate-resilient systems to protect infants in emergencies, supporting breastfeeding as a lifeline, and ensuring every caregiver—whether breastfeeding/chestfeeding or formula feeding—has the resources and dignity they deserve.

We stand at the intersection of public health, emergency response, and equity, working to make sure no family is left behind when disaster strikes.