The Infant Formula Program

After the Women’s Haven mission got going, Barry conceived the idea for the “Infant Formula Program” following the discovery from Jim Wright that Tarrant County had the highest infant mortality rate in the country.

Jim and Barry decided that, in both Spanish and English, they would announce the program at John Peter Smith Hospital - the county hospital.

Infant formula would be available for every baby, as long as it was needed. In the first year of the Formula Program, $100,000 was spent immediately. Shirley Gandy worked as lead volunteer with numerous hours every year helping to run the program. They worked out of the then Epworth Center in the old bowling hall, that is now the John Justin Building. It wasn’t until later that the pharmaceutical companies became involved with their financial support for the program.