The Breastfeeding Family Friendly Community designation was a dream of Dr. Miriam Labbok, founder of the Carolina Global Breastfeeding Institute. She created the Designation and piloted the Ten Steps here in Carrboro and Chapel Hill. It was with great sadness that Dr. Labbok became ill, and after she passed, a group of advocates continued the work as Breastfeed Orange NC. Everything on this site grew from her idea.
The Breastfeeding Family Friendly Communities (BFFC) initiative began in Chapel Hill and Carrboro, North Carolina (NC), with the support and coordinated efforts of a representative team from the Carolina Global Breastfeeding Institute (CGBI), the Chapel Hill Rotary Club, the Towns of Carrboro and Chapel Hill, La Leche League of Chapel Hill, and the Chapel Hill/Carrboro Chamber of Commerce, and later expanded to include the Orange County Health Department, Inter-Faith Council for Social Service, and the North Carolina Breastfeeding Coalition.
During National Breastfeeding Month 2015, the Mayors of Chapel Hill and Carrboro launched an initiative to become the first Breastfeeding Family Friendly Communities. They announced their intent to support the Breastfeeding Family Friendly Communities effort. The launch of this effort was held on August 10, 2015 at the Oasis Café in Carr Mill Mall, Carrboro, with a reception and presentation of plaques indicating each town’s Certificate of Intent.
In 2020, the initiative expanded into Orange County with new stakeholders, Orange County Partnership for Young Children (OCPYC) and Piedmont Health Services (PHS). OCPYC is providing breastfeeding friendly training and technical assistance for childcare providers. They also reached out to the local Chambers of Commerce and supported the February 2021 Proclamation by the Town of Hillsborough. PHS is expanding breastfeeding friendly practices in its health clinics in Orange County. Breastfeed Orange NC has a much wider community impact with the addition of these stakeholders.
On June 17, 2025, Mayor Barbara M. Foushee proclaimed the Town of Carrboro a Breastfeeding Family Friendly Community. Carrboro is the first community in the nation to complete all Ten Steps. Read how the community did it, step by step, and the proclamation as it was read at Town Hall.
We hope that you and/or your organization will consider joining this important initiative.
Milestones
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| August 10, 2015 | Launch at the Oasis Café, Carr Mill Mall, Carrboro. The Mayors of Carrboro and Chapel Hill were presented with plaques bearing each town’s Certificate of Intent. |
| June 2016 | First proclamations in Carrboro and Chapel Hill. Mayor Pam Hemminger proclaimed for Chapel Hill. |
| October 10, 2018 | Chapel Hill proclamation. |
| October 16, 2018 | Carrboro proclamation. |
| 2020 | County-wide expansion. Orange County Partnership for Young Children and Piedmont Health Services join. The initiative is renamed Breastfeed Orange NC. |
| February 8, 2021 | Hillsborough proclaimed by Mayor Jenn Weaver. |
| April 21, 2021 | Chapel Hill proclamation. |
| June 17, 2025 | Mayor Barbara M. Foushee proclaims the Town of Carrboro a Breastfeeding Family Friendly Community, the first community in the nation to complete all Ten Steps. |