FORT MYERS, Fla. — Kid to Kid, a consignment chain with a range of used apparel, shoes, gear & toys for babies and children has stepped up to the plate during the nationwide baby formula shortage.
"We've been doing it for a little over a week now and we didn't expect it to do so well," Elana Hull, the store's marketing manager said after a post went viral on Facebook.
"Our average posts get about 100 or 200 views, this one got 20,000, so we had calls coming in from all over the country, asking if we could ship it," while the store can't ship the donated formula, all other's in the franchise followed suit and are now doing the same, "So we ask them their location and we just point them to which store is closest to them," Hull said.
Hull says the process is easy for parents, "Come in, you take it, you go, you don’t have to do anything specific," and it has been less than two weeks since they've started, "I don’t know, I’m just really amazed by the number of people who are willing to come in and donate to the cause."
Kid to Kid has been overwhelmed by the community’s support as donations are placed on a small table that's rarely gone bare, constantly rotating with new cans as new donations come in.
"It’s been really nice seeing that there have been so many people who have been able to benefit from it, especially people who are really in need of formula right now and can’t get to the super expensive stuff at stores."
Employees are also paying attention to every detail, making sure all parents are given safe formulas for their little ones
"Before we even put them on the table, we make sure to check the lot number and expiration date, that's all we really all we do before it goes to the table," Hull says it's just another step to make things easier for parents.
Hull says the store has received calls of hesitation but assures anyone that wants to donate, "There’s a lot of people that come through here that do foster care, a lot of people with disabled kids that can only have formula and just bringing any amount in will definitely help them and their children lives in the future until this formula shortage can end."
