GALLATIN, Tenn. (WKRN) – As the nationwide shortage of baby formula continues, one Sumner County woman’s search has gone viral and is receiving attention from mothers and members of Congress.
Like many mothers across the country, Wynter Balthrop, of Gallatin, found herself in a panic when she couldn’t find formula for her 8-month-old daughter. The Sumner County mom said she even called stores as far as three hours away in search of formula but remained empty-handed.
Balthrop says the shortage left her desperate and she began feeding her 8-month-old a generic formula, which left the baby sick and her mother heartbroken. Although many mothers across the county are in the same predicament, Balthrop’s story went viral and led to U.S. Representative John Rose addressing her story on the House floor.
Representative Rose says the shortage that has become a crisis for so many families deserves a federal response that won’t get in the way of production, “In the short run, what we’ve got to do is make sure we get the regulatory apparatus of the federal government out of the way to the extent possible so that companies can get back, stand back-up production,” said Rose, “We want to save reliable supply, but we need to make sure the government’s not standing in the way first and foremost.”
After Balthrop’s story was highlighted on the House floor, donations began pouring in for the Sumner County mother, so she thought ‘why not give some away to other parents here in Tennessee who are also struggling,’ and that’s exactly what she did.
“I’ve started a Facebook group of my own called Blakey’s Blessing, because Blakey is my daughter, who is you know, the main point of all of this and so then, I was like blessings because we want to bless other mothers.”
In just one day, more than 160 people joined the Facebook group and Balthrop says it is a great resource for other mothers who are in search of formula.
“Every day, people post when they go to a grocery store, where their grocery store is, the address and the time of day with a picture of what’s available so we keep an eye out for each other.”
To get connected with Balthrop to see what she has in stock or to join the Facebook group click here.