Together for Tiny Lives: A Community’s Role in Premature Infant Care
With support of our donors, the Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation makes an incredible impact on the lives of babies and their families every day.
“My team and I are incredibly grateful to the Nanaimo & District Hospital Foundation for their ongoing support. The list of equipment and projects they’ve funded for our department is extensive, and each one has a meaningful, lasting impact on the children and families we care for—not only in Nanaimo but sometimes across the province,” shares Trina Knight, Manager of Child, Youth & Family at NRGH.
One of those remarkable initiatives is the Breast Milk Depot. With the Foundation’s help, NRGH has established one of only two Depots on the Island, providing an important service which collects donor milk for the BC Women’s Provincial Milk Bank. That milk supports premature and medically fragile infants in NICUs across B.C. For these tiny patients, breast milk provides critical immune protection and nutrition, helping them grow stronger and go home sooner, where they belong.
Thanks to donor generosity, the Foundation has funded special freezers, transport coolers, and monthly transportation costs to ensure this life-saving milk reaches the babies who need it most.
We also have passionate staff who not only brought the vision of the Milk Depot to life, but who actively promote milk donation in our community. This project has inspired a renewed sense of purpose, proving that great ideas—especially those rooted in compassion—can grow into something impactful when supported. It has strengthened our workplace culture and improved patient outcomes. The feedback we’ve received from families and even from fellow nurses—some of whom are donor recipients themselves—has been profoundly moving.
Every year, we see the community’s generosity grow:
- In 2023, we collected 163.75 kg of breast milk
- In 2024, 229.66 kg
- And already in 2025, we’ve collected 128.2 kg
To every donor who makes this possible: thank you. Your support enables us to care for the most vulnerable among us and uplift families throughout our region and beyond.
