SM Cares launched its Human Milk Depot Initiative last August 26, 2026, at SM City Davao, in partnership with the Southern Philippines Medical Center (SPMC) Human Milk Bank.
More than 23,000 ml of human milk were collected from donations during the community milk letting activity held at The Annex Activity Center in SM Ecoland that marked the launching.
Under the leadership of SM Supermalls Senior Assistant Vice-President, Atty. Pearl Jayagan Turley, who also serves as program director of SM Cares for Women, SM malls are safe spaces for mothers and their children. Mothers can now donate milk through any of the SM malls in the city without having to go all the way to SPMC. They can use the mall’s breasfeeding facilities to comfortably feed their babies and also share their extra milk to others.
To celebrate this milestone, the Rotary Club of Downtown Davao (RCDD), led by its President, Dr. Maria Rea Lane Horfilla, donated three (3) units of hospital grade breast pumps for use of mothers who will donate their breast milk to babies who need them through the SPMC Human Milk Bank.
RCDD is a major donor of the Davao Region’s pioneering Human Milk Bank Project. It turned over a Php 3 million ultrasound machine and other facilities to help set up the milk bank at SPMC last December 12, 2024.
SPMC Human Milk Bank head, Dr. Melanie Adolfo, and Davao City Councilor Trisha Ann “Potpot” Villafuerte, chair of the committee on health, expressed their appreciation and gratitude to SM Cares and RCDD for their donation and support to this important maternal and child health initiative.
The City Government of Davao, through the City Health Office and the Integrated Gender and Development Division, mobilized mothers from the different barangays in the city to participate in the community milk letting activity that marked the launch. Councilor Potpot, who represented City Mayor Sebastian “Baste” Duterte, shared that the city is planning to establish its own human milk bank soon.
Councilor Luna Acosta led the human milk donation drive by donating on site and bringing frozen milk she has stored at home. Councilor CheChe Justol, chair of the committee on women, donated milk bags and also gave her message of solidarity highlighting the importance of maternal and child health to the city’s development.
Donating human milk is a lifesaving act that provides critical, medical-grade nutrition to the most vulnerable infants. For many premature or critically ill babies, pasteurized donor human milk (PDHM) is prescribed not just as food, but as a vital medical intervention.
