QUEZON City Mayor Joy Belmonte on Tuesday said that the majority of the beneficiaries of the Quezon City Human Milk Bank (QCHMB) in 2025 came from neighboring localities, including Bulacan. Belmonte said the trend was a testament to both the city’s strong maternal support systems and its commitment to regional solidarity in newborn care. “We gladly extend our help to mothers and infants in need, even beyond Quezon City’s borders,” the mayor said. "This is how we believe public health should work — cities supporting not only their own residents, but the most vulnerable wherever they may be." QCHMB's 2025 data show that 56 percent of its pasteurized human milk supply was dispensed to non–city residents, while 44 percent went to QCitizens. This marks a significant shift, highlighting the city’s growing role as a referral and support hub for vulnerable infants across Metro Manila and nearby provinces, according to the local government. QC's milk bank provides pasteurized human milk to preterm and medically vulnerable infants whose mothers face lactation difficulties or medical challenges, it added. In total, QCHMB served 496 infant recipients in 2025, dispensing 738,670 milliliters of pasteurized human milk. Belmonte said that the comparatively lower number of city recipients reflects the availability and effectiveness of its nutrition services and lactation support programs, enabling many QC mothers to become self-sufficient in meeting their infants’ milk needs. Among the cities and provinces that most frequently avail of milk from QCHMB are Manila, Mandaluyong, Bulacan, Caloocan, Makati and Rizal. The expanded reach of the milk bank is made possible by the generosity of 3,315 eligible donors, who helped QCHMB collect 662,505 milliliters of human milk in 2025 through various collection methods. Milk donations are accepted at Quezon City General Hospital and Novaliches District Hospital through walk-in donations, milk-letting activities in health centers, and scheduled milk pick-ups. All collected milk undergoes strict pasteurization to ensure safety for infant consumption. The city’s Public Affairs and Information Services Department (PAISD) said that interested donors may undergo free screening for HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), Hepatitis B, and syphilis. Schedules of milk-letting activities are regularly posted on the official Facebook pages of QCHMB and the local government, the PAISD said.