AP

Nursing women in Utah have donated more than a ton of breast milk to a nonprofit milk bank since the University of Utah opened a donation center earlier this year.

The center tells The Salt Lake Tribune that since opening in February, more than 2,300 pounds of milk have been collected from roughly 30 women.

The Tribune reports the milk is sent to the Mothers' Milk Bank in Denver, which reported a slowdown in donations this summer, forcing the facility to limit its supply to just premature babies in intensive care units.

The milk is generally provided to babies who are allergic to formula or have certain illnesses and whose mothers are unable to produce breast milk. For premature babies, the breast milk is like medicine that helps prevent infections.

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