DES MOINES, Iowa — The Biden Administration on May 22 sent out a second flight for Operation Fly Formula, a plan set in place after the UDSA called on the White House to speed up the import process of baby formula.
President Biden launched the first shipment on May 19 with that batch arriving last Sunday. The administration is set to announce the latest shipment's arrival in the near future.
In the meantime, the baby formula shortage is still leaving parents around the nation desperate to feed their children. In the Des Moines metro, Katie Patterson's Facebook group Des Moines Moms is providing updated tracking information on where formula is located
"Having to put on the strife of not being able to find the baby formula that your child needs, is likely incredibly stressful, and just not something that we want moms to have to experience. So if this group can come together to help them whatsoever, that is definitely the goal," Patterson said.
She believes finding formula is more than finding a can of formula on a shelf.
"One of the really biggest challenging pieces out of this formula shortage is that you're not just looking for a can of formula for each mom, we have specific reasons why we need specific cans of formula, whether that's WIC-approved ... allergy-friendly."
John Forbes, owner of Medicap Pharmacy in Urbandale, shared parents are not the only ones frustrated with the formula shortage. He's checking daily for shipments that have yet to come
"We aren't able to write any formula to people that come in because of the shortage and we've had quite a few calls from people trying to find formula around the Des Moines area pharmacies. And as far as I know, I don't know of any pharmacy right now that has formally available here in Central Iowa," Forbes said.
Patterson is worried for those parents that can't afford formula on top of the shortage
"We're very fortunate that we could afford that. And even for us [it] was a very stressful situation for a variety of reasons. And so just really sending a lot of support to those that are trying to not only afford formula but find formula and all of these just really big barriers to simply getting your child fed," Patterson said.