Finding Aid to the Mothers' Milk Bank, Inc. Records,
1945-1979
MS 3532
Finding aid prepared by California Historical Society staff; revised by
Tanya Hollis.
California Historical Society
678 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA, 94105
415-357-1848
reference@calhist.org
© 2001, revised 2009
Collection Summary
Collection Title: Mothers' Milk Bank, Inc. records
Date (inclusive): 1945-1978
Collection Number: MS 3532
Creator:
Mothers' Milk Bank, Inc.
(San Francisco, Calif.).
Creator:
Auxiliary Mothers' Milk
Bank. (San Francisco, Calif.).
Creator:
American Association of
University Women. San Francisco Branch. Baby Hygiene Committee.
Extent:
3 cartons, 1 box, 1 oversize box, 1 scrapbook
(4.0 Linear feet)
Repository:
California Historical Society
678 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA, 94105
415-357-1848
reference@calhist.org
URL: http://www.californiahistoricalsociety.org/
Physical Location: Collection is stored onsite.
Language of Materials: Collection materials are in English.
Abstract: Contains administrative records, including
correspondence, minutes, and reports of the Board of Directors; financial records,
including statements, treasurers' reports, invoices, and bills; fundraising records,
consisting of correspondence with foundations and individual donors, foundation
proposals, and material relating to special events; and program records, consisting
of correspondence with donors and parents of recipient babies, physicians, and other
milk banks. Of particular interest are nurses' statistical and narrative reports,
and information and statistics concerning donors and recipients. Also includes
articles on breast feeding research, newspaper clipppings, and a scrapbook with
additional clippings, photographs, and other materials. Includes early
correspondence from the Baby Hygiene Committee pertaining to the establishment of
the milk bank; records of Auxiliary Mothers' Milk Bank, a fundraising group that
provided volunteer support services; and material on Children's Hospital, where the
milk bank was housed for many years.
Information for Researchers
Access
Publication Rights
Copyright has not been assigned to the California Historical Society. All
requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted
in writing to the Director of Research Collections. Permission for publication
is given on behalf of the California Historical Society as the owner of the
physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the
copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Mother's Milk Bank, Inc. Records, MS 3532. California
Historical Society.
Separated Materials
Photographs shelved as MSP 3532.
Related Archival Materials
Baby Hygiene Committee Records, 1909-1964 (bulk 1909-1958), MS 51
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
library's online public access catalog.
Children's Hospital of San
Francisco.
Infant health services--California--San Francisco.
Infants--Nutrition.
Maternal and infant welfare--California--San Francisco.
Women in charitable work--California--San Francisco.
Scrapbooks.
Administrative Information
National Union Catalog of Manuscript Collections (NUCMC) Number
NUCMC 82-435
Accruals
No additions are expected.
Processing Information
Processed by California Historical Society staff.
Organizational History
Dedicating themselves to the
study of, action on and
solution of educational and social problems of communities,
the San
Francisco branch of the American Association of University Women has enjoyed a long
history of committed social action. In May of 1909, a group of women from the AAUW
formed the Certified Milk Fund Committee in order to
raise a fund for providing certified milk for the babies of San Francisco's
poor.
Aided by local dairies, the committee successfully reduced infant
mortality through their city wide drive for uncontaminated milk. In addition to
supplying the milk, the Milk Fund Committee offered instruction in the care and
feeding of foster babies.
They expanded their program in 1917 with the founding of the Children's Health
Center. Functioning as
an educational center for all
mothers,
the center provided care for infants, foster children and the
older run about stage of growth. In the spirit
of
initiating projects in the interest of child
health,
the committee then developed programs for prenatal and postnatal
care for mothers; classes and conferences; and, examinations and vaccination
clinics. Concerned about family planning, they established the Maternal Health
Committee in 1929 to offer instruction in birth control.
In 1918 the Committee changed its name to the Baby Hygiene Committee. Among their
programs later adopted by the San Francisco Department of Health were the Well Baby
Centers; Supervision of Private Boarding Homes for Infants and Children; Cardiac
Diagnostic Center for Children; and, Hospital Based Postnatal care for mothers.
When the Baby Health Center closed its doors in 1945, the women of the Baby Hygiene
Committee were eager to continue serving the health care needs of women and
children. After much discussion and planning, they decided on a Mother's Milk Bank.
They incorporated under a separate organization but the center was run by the
members of the AAUW. The Mother's Milk Bank began service in June of 1948.
With a medical advisory board, ample nursing assistance and a core of volunteers, the
Milk Bank opened its doors to the community. Situated in Children's Hospital, the
Milk Bank served three primary services: 1) provided milk for premature and sick
infants 2) sponsored research conducted with mother's milk 3) demonstrated
techniques for child care. These varied services were offered free of charge.
Scope and Contents
The Mother's Milk Bank, Inc. Records consist of over thirty years of correspondence,
minutes, reports, financial records, printed materials and newspaper clippings,
documenting the community service of one of San Francisco's best known civic
organizations. Included is the history of the organization, programs and various
membership lists. The collection contains extensive correspondence between committee
members and potential donors and participating doctors.
The collection also contains records of the Mother's Milk Bank Auxiliary, the
volunteer organization which assisted the American Association of University Women
(AAUW), San Francisco branch. The Auxiliary traces the efforts at fundraising and
membership drives. Extensive Nurse's Reports offer detailed records of the infants
involved with the program and the success and failure rates of their treatments.
The Collection provides an excellent opportunity to explore the history and
development of the Mother's Milk Bank, Inc. and of particular interest and use to
those concerned with social history, particularly the history of women following the
second European war. Through the collection materials, researchers can follow the
change in attitudes regarding the relationship of women, children, motherhood and
family.
Box 1, Folder 1
History of the Organization
Box 1, Folder 5
Minutes
1950-1953,
1957-1958
Box 1, Folder 7
Membership Committee
1948-1973
Box 1, Folder 8
Nominating Committee
1950-1973
Box 1, Folder 9
Committee Reports
1957-1976
Box 1, Folder 13
Other Milk Banks
1947-1968
Box 1, Folder 14
Annual Meetings
1954, 1968-1973
Box 1, Folder 16
Public Relations
1945-1970
Box 1, Folder 20
San Francisco Foundations
1968-1969
Box 1, Folder 21
Fundraising Events
1969-1970
Box 1, Folder 22-23
Membership Forms
1947-1970
Box 1, Folder 25
Donor Applications
1948-1977
Box 1, Folder 28
Lists of infants receiving milk
1948-1977
Box 2, Folder 29-32
Monthly Statistical Reports
1948-1977
Box 2, Folder 33
Supplementary Reports
1948-1960, 1967-1968
Box 2, Folder 34
Quarterly Reports
1948-1962
Box 2, Folder 35
Annual Reports
1948-1967, 1974-1977
Mother's Milk Bank Auxiliary
Box 2, Folder 39-41
Fundraising
1946-1952, 1956-1966
Box 2, Folder 44
Auxiliary Newsletters
1961-1962
Box 2, Folder 47
Anniversary Celebrations
1949-1963
Box 2, Folder 49
Conference Notes
1954-1958
Box 3, Folder 53-54
Treasurer's Reports
1947-1972
Box 3, Folder 55-68
Financial Statements
1948-1957, 1969-1972
Box 3, Folder 76-78
Newspaper clippings
1950s-1970s