Vitamin Angels Respond to Indonesia Quake

SANTA BARBARA--Vitamin Angel Alliance has begun relief shipments to adults and children in the region of the recent earthquake in Indonesia, in an effort to help them stave off opportunistic infections and diseases that can result from lack of quality nutrition. In partnership with other relief organizations, Vitamin Angel is accepting donations in the Los Angeles area and is coordinating air shipments to the Yogyakarta region.

The organized effort combines contributions from numerous companies in the natural products and pharmaceutical industries to help bring in emergency nutritional supplies to the villagers affected and displaced by the earthquake, which has also increased the potential of a major eruption from a nearby volcano, Mt. Mirapi.

"We've been in contact with our partners in Indonesia and theyve said the situation is grim--first aid supplies and multiple vitamins are urgently needed, said Howard B. Schiffer, president, Vitamin Angel Alliance. "We heard from Robin Lim, our colleague who has been working with us on the Aceh relief effort for the tsunami. Her husband Wil was filming for the Discovery channel near the rim of the volcano Mirapi when the earthquake shook and the volcano erupted. He is fine but noted that there was complete chaos with people caught between fear of another tsunami and an eruption of the volcano. "Presently people are lying in parking lots and in fields awaiting medical help and nutritional supplies," he added, saying it has been raining in Jogya and the first relief supplies have just begun arriving. "Vitamin Angels will be doing everything we can to support the relief effort."