BOCA RATON, Fla. — A shortage of baby formula has left thousands of parents dry.
"I haven't always been able to find it, but last week I got to the point I was running out and it was. I drove to like 8 different stores last Friday," said Veronika Vaughn who has struggled to find formula for her 10-month-old.
"As a parent, it's very scary because we have no answers. We don't know when this is going to get better, it's been going out for a while actually," said Vaughn.
Vaughn said her baby has specific allergies and needs hypoallergenic formula.
She has been able to donate formula her baby can't drink and now relies on the power of social media to help get her by.
"These parents are writing in, I'm looking at social media and there's numerous comments saying who needs. And then, we're connecting those people and it's a beautiful thing," said Naomi Gordon the Early Childhood Director of B'Nai Torah Congregation.
Through the congregation, parents created a "Be On the Lookout" private Facebook group where together they're donating extra formula and helping parents that are without.
"In our Facebook group alone, I believe we have 500 members in our Facebook group. So hey, if we get 10%, 50 people who have something. That would be huge," said Gordon.
The congregation hopes others will create similar social media groups to join families together to help.
"The crisis is for everyone. I don't think there's anyone in this world right now who doesn't know someone or have someone in their life who has a baby. So the crisis is big, it's really big," said Gordon.
B'nai Torah also has over 50 community pantries throughout the state which right now don't have any formula but they hope to include it once they have extra in stock.
"I would hope that this small group of people and their commitment will expand to a large group of people. We really have to help each other here," said Senior Rabbi David Steinhardt with B'nai Torah Congregation.
