ESM, Stratum Aid Tornado Victims

ST. LOUIS and CARTHAGE, Mo.Stratum Nutrition and ESM Technologies helped clean-up efforts in Joplin, MO, after a tornado hit the area in May. On Aug. 19, company volunteers helped children and families obtain supplies, and other volunteers helped remove debris.

Working with Mission Joplin, company volunteers helped organize pallets of donated school supplies in a school warehouse and put together booklets for the school, while others stuffed school backpacks with supplies for students in need.

Other volunteers worked at College Heights Christian Church supplying food and personal items to families in need. The church has been hosting a distribution center for supplies (food, clothing, kids' toys and general supplies), and volunteers worked sorting and organizing items, helping people "shop" for essentials, and talking with the community for overall support.

An additional group worked on the demolition and clean up of a destroyed house.

In addition to volunteer efforts, Stratum Nutrition corporate parent, Novus International, donated 500 flash drives and more than $30,000 to the Red Cross in support of aid efforts in Joplin through their gift matching program, $15,000 of which was donated directly by company employees.   

ESM, located in Carthage only a few miles from Joplin, had an employee who lost his house and vehicle.  ESM and Stratum employees stepped in immediately with financial donations for him and his family.  ESM also teamed up with Nutra Blend, Neosho, MO, and Forest Park Baptist Church to cook lunch and dinner for victims and volunteers directly after the tornado.  ESM donated volunteers and hamburger meat to feed a 1,000 people.  Tyson Foods also joined the efforts donating chicken for the cookout.  The grills and smokers were busy for days feeding those in need.

The tornado that hit on may 22, 2011 destroyed 6,954 homes and damaged 875 homes in its 13-mile path.  One hundred fifty nine deaths were reported, and 1,150 people were injured.

Stratum Nutrition offers functional and specialty ingredients for manufacturers and marketers of foods, beverages and supplementation. ESM Technologies supplies eggshell calcium and eggshell membrane wellness ingredients. Two companies have been a joint venture ever since Novus acquired a significant interest in ESM in December 2010.