Long Beach will begin distributing infant formula to residents and families in need starting Aug. 2, the city announced Friday.
Long Beach officials said earlier this month that it had reached a deal with the county that would see it receive about 1,000 cans of formula to distribute to families with infants to help with the ongoing formula shortage in the country. The program will be open to Long Beach residents along with residents of surrounding Los Angels County cities.
The Long Beach Health Department said Friday that it had received 950 cans of formula from LA County that includes both Enfamil and Similac brands. Silverado Park in West Long Beach, the Ron Arias Health Equity Center in North Long Beach and St. Mary’s Woman, Infant and Children (WIC) Office in Central Long Beach are among the four distribution points, the announcement said.
The fourth distribution site will be the health department’s main office in East Long Beach, the announcement said.
To be eligible, families must have a child under 9 months old and be on some form of federal assistance program, like WIC, and have a need for food in the household.
The city’s announcement said that each site will carry both the Enfamil Infant Instant Formula milk-based power with Iron as well as the Similac Advance powder baby formula. Supplies will be distributed throughout August while they last.
Federal and local agencies have worked to help reduce the infant formula shortage since it began affecting families earlier this year. Agencies like LA County have bought large quantities of formula to distribute to needy families and the United States Federal Food and Drug Administration has tried to encourage more domestic production and recently has allowed international formula brands to be imported for use in the US.
Here’s a full list of locations and times for formula distribution:
- St. Mary’s WIC Office 1043 Elm Ave. #401 Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to noon
- Ron Arias Health Equity Center 6335 Myrtle Ave. Thursdays from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
- Silverado Park 1545 W. 31st St. Fridays from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
- Main Health Office 2525 Grand Ave. Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon
Long Beach to receive 1,000 cans of infant formula from county as shortage continues