Pharmachem Labs Pledges $1 Mil to Vitamin Angels

KEARNY, N.J.Pharmachem Laboratories Inc. pledged $1 million to Vitamin Angels, an organization dedicated to eliminating nutrient deficiencies in children, according to Howard Schiffer, founder and president of Vitamin Angels.  The long-term commitment by Pharmachem will result in donations of $200,000 per year over the next five years to the Vitamin Angels organization.

Through long-term commitments like Pharmachems, well be able to double the number of children reached this year to 20 million, Schiffer said. Vitamin Angels has been around for 16 years, and last year was the first time we were able to reach over 10 million malnourished children worldwide in one year.

Since 2003, Pharmachem has donated approximately $2.5 million dollars to our cause making the company one of our largest contributors, added Schiffer. They have supported us not only with monetary contributions, but with raw materials, as well.

David Holmes, founder and president of Pharmachem Laboratories, said Vitamin Angels is making a huge difference in the lives of children around the globe who are at risk for serious medical conditions, and were proud to be a partner in this crucial mission.

The mission of Vitamin Angels is to reduce child mortality worldwide by connecting infants and children under five with essential nutrients, especially vitamin A.  One of its programs is Operation 20/20, which provides children in 30 countries with vitamin A capsules to reduce mortality and prevent blindness caused by a deficiency of this vitamin.  Another program, Thrive to Five, provides multivitamins to malnourished children under 5 years old, as well as pregnant and lactating women, in at least 20 countries, including the United States.

Current estimates list the number of chronically malnourished children around the world at 150 million. In 2009, Vitamin Angels reached 11,057,289 children (and mothers) in 40 countries, including the United States.  In 2010, Vitamin Angels goal is to reach 20 million children with essential nutrients in more than 40 countries, including the United States. The organization is poised to double the number of beneficiaries it reaches in 2011 to 40 million.

According to Schiffer, Our motto is that we reach the unreachablethose children, primarily in rural areas, that are not being reached by the public healthcare system.   Were getting the word out to other organizations who may be able to help us with financial commitments similar to Pharmachems, so that we can reach our goal of helping more and more of these underserved children.

Pharmachem Laboratories, Kearny, N.J., develops, supplies and manufactures a variety of high-quality, efficacious nutritional ingredients under the strictest quality control.