About the SAFE Team
We Support Families So Every Baby Can Be Fed Safely In Times Of Crisis
What We Do: The SAFE Infant Feeding Team helps communities, families, and organizations prepare for and respond to emergencies so they can protect infant and young child feeding. By building knowledge, advancing family-centered policies, and fostering culturally responsive support, the SAFE Team works to ensure that every child has access to safe and appropriate nutrition, even in times of crisis.
How We Do It: The SAFE Team supports families by making sure safe infant feeding is part of every community’s emergency plan. We work with leaders, shelters, healthcare providers, and local businesses to create welcoming spaces, provide breastfeeding support, and connect families with the resources they need. By building strong partnerships and sharing practical education, we help families feel prepared and confident caring for their babies, even in times of crisis.
Our Vision: A resilient future where every infant and young child—regardless of crisis or circumstance—has access to safe, appropriate, and equitable nutrition. The SAFE Team envisions a world in which communities are equipped, empowered, and committed to protecting and supporting infant and young child feeding (IYCF) during emergencies by prioritizing human milk, community-centered response, and culturally responsive care.
The SAFE Team envisions a world in which communities large and small know and understand the importance of safe infant and young child feeding and care, know how to support safe infant and young child feeding and care in disasters, know and follow the best practice guidelines for safe infant and young child feeding and care in emergencies and can implement this knowledge into emergency preparedness and response planning. As a result, formula donations will decrease, breastfeeding support and rates will increase, families that truly need formula will have access to formula that has been properly stored and be armed with knowledge to prepare it safely for their infants and disaster response and planning will exist through a fully family-centered lens.
How We Started: 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.
The SAFE 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 has evolved into a dedicated network of infant feeding specialists, volunteers, and advocates.
Since scaling back our operations in western North Carolina, we have found the demand for this education and work extends to many other areas. We are diligently working to expand our capacity, develop innovative tools, and advocate for IYCF in disaster planning at state and national levels throughout the US. Read more about our history here.
Our Accomplishments: In just over one year since the birth of the SAFE team, we have provided the following services to assist communities across North Carolina:
- Emergency sanitation kits for safe formula preparation.
- Peer and professional lactation support to help parents sustain breastfeeding during traumatic times.
- 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
Today, SAFE focuses on building climate-resilient systems to protect infants in emergencies, supporting breastfeeding as a lifeline, and ensuring every caregiver—whether breast/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.
Who We Are: The SAFE Team is guided by a diverse group of experienced professionals who are dedicated to supporting families and infants in emergencies. Our board members include lactation specialists, doulas, clinical nutritionists, and community health advocates who bring expertise in trauma-informed care, reproductive justice, perinatal mental health, and culturally responsive feeding support. Learn more about our Board of Directors here.
Where To Start: The SAFE Team provides training and guidance to help communities support infant and young child feeding during emergencies. Offerings include live and on-demand workshops, customizable training, and on-the-ground support for volunteers, supply management, and disaster response. These resources help communities respond effectively while caring for families and maintaining sustainable operations. View our Infant & Young Child Feeding in Emergencies Trainings (IYCF-E) here.