Vitamin Angels Honored for Social Responsibility

SANTA BARBARA, Calif.—Vitamin Angel Alliance received the Social Responsibility Business Achievement Award at the NBJ Summit, held in Dana Point, Calif., in July. The award acknowledged Vitamin Angels’ response to disaster victims around the world in 2005, including the earthquake in Pakistan, Hurricane Katrina, flooding in Guatemala and the famine in Niger.

“It is an honor to receive this award, which I can only accept on behalf of the entire industry,” stated Howard B. Schiffer, founder and president, Vitamin Angels (www.vitaminangels.org). “Any time there is a crisis the industry immediately responds, asking what they can do to help. If it weren’t for the generous donations and support of numerous companies, we would not be able to help individuals and communities in their time of need.”

In additional news, customers purchasing Andrew Lessman’s supplements as part of the Sept. 17 “Special” on the Home Shopping Network also helped Vitamin Angels, as the parent company, ProCaps Laboratories donated $1 for every bottle sold that day to Vitamin Angels. The company also agreed to research and develop a series of formulas to be provided to mothers and children in need of vital nutritional support via Vitamin Angels’ worldwide network.

Finally, Vitamin Angels was also selected as the first official charitable partner of the United Natural Products Alliance (UNPA); as such, UNPA will help raise the organization’s visibility to help extend its impact. “Vitamin Angels has long represented the humanitarian arm of the natural products industry, and we are happy to name them as our first official charity,” said Loren Israelsen, executive director, UNPA. Vitamin Angels presented at UNPA’s semi-annual meeting held in August in Salt Lake City, and Israelsen spoke at the Vitamin Angels’ Celebration of Angels dinner at Natural Products Expo East.