SANTA BARBARA, CA, April 28, 2015 – Vitamin Angels, a 501(c)(3) charity based in Santa Barbara, is responding to recent requests from partner NGOs in Nepal following the earthquake on Saturday, April 25th. Partners, including Global Nutrition Empowerment and Project for a Village, have expressed the need for additional micronutrient supplement grants to expand their reach to affected communities. While not a disaster relief agency, Vitamin Angels is responding to the emergency by expediting and increasing the number of vitamins being sent to the country. After the immediate crisis has been addressed, Vitamin Angels will work to rebuild nutritional security in Nepal by partnering with local organizations focused on long-term strategies for fighting undernutrition.
“The importance of proper nutrition in the aftermath of disasters is vital to maintaining good health when those already at risk of undernutrition are faced with even greater challenges in obtaining food and clean water, as well as increased exposure to illness,” said Howard Schiffer, President and Founder of Vitamin Angels. Mr. Schifferfounded Vitamin Angels in the wake of the 1994 Northridge earthquake in California.
Vitamin Angels has been working with various non-profit partners in Nepal since 2008 to distribute critically needed nutrients to populations that are not being reached by government health programs. The recent disaster only underscores the need to intensify outreach for what will certainly be a long-term rebuilding effort in Nepal.
Vitamin Angels joins the international community in mourning the lives of those lost and sends its thoughts and support to those impacted by the earthquake. Vitamin Angels is gratefully accepting donations which will support its efforts in Nepal, and around the world, and suggests parties interested in supporting the Nepal earthquake relief effort consider contributing directly to its NGO partners: Global Nutrition Empowerment (http://www.globalnutritionempowerment.org/), Project for a Village (http://projectforavillage.org/), and Upaya Zen Center Buddhist which supports our partner, Aatiyma (https://www.upaya.org/).
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About Vitamin Angels
Vitamin Angels helps at-risk populations in need—specifically pregnant women, new mothers, and children under five—gain access to lifesaving and life changing vitamins and minerals. Vitamin Angels works to reach underserved communities in partnership with over 700 NGOs in almost every U.S. state and more than 50 countries around the world. Vitamin Angels has received seven consecutive four-star ratings from Charity Navigator for Financial Health, Accountability and Transparency.