WhiteWave Foods Commits to Haiti Relief Donation
February 01, 2010.....The US producer of Silk Soymilk and Horizon Organic brands has committed to a sizeable product donation to the NGO “Feed the Children”, in the hope that Silk and Horizon products can help feed those in need in Haiti. Headquartered in Colorado, WhiteWave is a pioneer in creating healthy, innovative, and responsibly produced foods.
Feed the Children is a US-based NGO with a branch also in Canada. Their mission is to provide food to people in need, both in the USA and in many foreign countries. They also have the capability to collect and warehouse food donations and are working with a variety of recipient organizations in Haiti.
WhiteWave is among a number of major soyfood companies internationally who have provided commitments to Haiti and cooperation with the ad-hoc international group dubbed 'SHARE' for Soyfoods Haiti Alliance Relief Effort. Work is underway to solicit more donations as well as to facilitate logistics and distribution. In this regard, NGOs such as Feed the Children, have emerged as partners to receive and distribute the soyfood donations. Contact with World Food Program has also revealed their request for cooking oil and ready-to-eat foods.
Currently there are about 250,000 people receiving food relief in Haiti while estimates of the actual number needing such support are about 900,000. Delivery to beneficiaries still faces huge challenges. Some donated products are piling up at the airport for lack of distribution logistics and coordination. Last week the seaport finally began receiving and unloading ships.
UN aid workers fanned out across the Haitian capital yesterday to set up permanent distribution sites they hope will smooth the flow of food to the hundreds of thousands living in ramshackle tent camps.
Further donations will be needed for the foreseeable future. These should include protein-rich snacks, ready-to-eat foods, beverages and quick-cook products, as well as cooking oil. Eventually, and on a longer-term basis, donations could include soybeans, soy protein ingredients and micro-nutrient supplements for value-added processing in Haiti.
Alliance partners, Malnutrition Matters in North America and Bridge2Food in Europe, are working to solicit and expedite soyfoods donations. The US-based World Soy Foundation is accepting financial donations and can issue US tax receipts.
For more information:
Malnutrition Matters: www.malnutrition.org/haiti
e-mail: matters@malnutrition.org
World Soy Foundation: www.worldsoyfoundation.org
e-mail: nruby@soy.org
Bridge2Food: www.bridge2food.com
e-mail: gkleinessink@bridge2food.com
