Mansfield restaurant gives out baby formula to those in need

As families across the country struggle to find baby formula on their shelves, one North Texas restaurant started giving out formula to those who can't find it.

MANSFIELD, Texas - As families across the country struggle to find baby formula on their shelves, one North Texas restaurant started giving out formula to those who can't find it.

Many Metroplex moms are connecting through social media, all in the same boat searching for formula.

"I literally have been on a scavenger hunt," mother Sha’Mikka Tenner said.

Tenner is terrified.

Sunday, she was down to her last can of baby formula for her 2-month-old daughter, Journey.

"We were everywhere. I live in Keller. so we were in Dallas, Plano. We literally looked everywhere and it was depressing," she said.

Tenner took to her Facebook page pleading for help from family in Little Rock and Memphis.

Millions of parents are facing empty shelves as the nation struggles with a baby formula shortage.

More than 40% of formula is out of stock.

The shortage spiraled due to a strained supply chain plus Abbott Nutrition’s re-call of infant formula.

The Biden Administration vows it’s working with manufacturers to import formula, and Congress is hoping to provide relief by taking up possible legislation this week.

With experts warning the shortage may continue for months, communities are stepping up in the meantime.

In Mansfield on Sunday, new mothers were able to pick up free formula from the restaurant Our Place, off Debbie Lane.

"I don’t want mothers to stress, so I want to do what I can," said Benji Arslanovski, owner of Our Place. "I decided to look online and see the stock, they had some."

Arslanovski previously worked at US Foods in Dallas.

Now he uses the food distributor for his restaurant.

He went online and purchased six cases of formula to hand out.

One quick post to social media, and it was shared more than 2,000 times.

Sunday, all of the cases were gone within hours.

So Arslanovski ordered 20 more and expects them early Monday morning.

"We thought, if we can help a little bit in our community," he said. "People helped us during COVID, so we want to repay that back."

Tenner’s plan for Monday morning is to call her pediatrician, praying there are samples that will tide her over until her family’s shipments arrive.

"It’s stressful to us trying to figure out where her next meal is coming from," she said.

Our Place opens at 6 a.m. Monday. They expect the shipment to arrive at 7 a.m., and it will got out first come, first serve.