Global Search
Whole Story
The Official Whole Foods Market® Blog
Viva Vitamin Angels!
| Meet the Blogger | More Posts by Chris Jensen Thanks to their humanitarian efforts, Vitamin Angels is an organization that holds a special place in the heart of Whole Foods Market. Discover the ways they are profoundly changing the lives of children around the world and how easy it is to get involved. Want a quick way to help? Post a comment below telling us what you think about Vitamin Angels and we'll donate $1 for every comment received in September, 2011.
Listen to Howard Schiffer, founder of Vitamin Angels, share his passion.
- Vitamin Angels began in 1994 with Schiffer’s desire to translate his industry connections into helping children around the world.
- Schiffer developed a mantra, “what you don’t know can be your greatest ally”, after he learned that vitamin A could help prevent a child from going blind and that 1/3 of all child and maternal deaths were due to chronic malnutrition.
- The children who benefit the most from Vitamin Angels’ work are the ones who are most vulnerable: children under 5, who are living in rural areas in extreme poverty and who no one else is reaching.
- Today, Vitamin Angels is reaching over 20 million children in more than 40 countries and is literally improving children’s lives every day.
- Schiffer states that “Most children born in the developing world today will never reach their full intellectual or structural capacity from the day they are born due to the chronic malnutrition of their mothers before they were even conceived.”
- The damage that gets done before a child is 2 years old is often irreversible. Conversely, getting to the children early enough can have a profound impact on the rest of their lives.
- Thrive to Five is an international program to get children’s multivitamins to children under 5, and prenatal vitamins to pregnant women as early in their pregnancy as possible.
- Operation 20/20 focuses on getting vitamin A to children under 5 around the world. Two high dose vitamin A per child per year (at a total cost of 25 cents per child) will increase survival rates by 23%!
- Choose supplements at Whole Foods Market that are tagged with the Vitamin Angels logo. These companies donate a portion of sales or provide nutrients to the programs.
- Visit www.vitaminangels.org to learn more about the children, sign up for the monthly newsletter and check out personal fundraising pages.
- In the next three years, Vitamin Angels will reach 50 million children.
- In the next 5-10 years, they will reach 100 million children, which will be the majority of children who no one else is reaching and are the most in need.
432 Comments
Comments
I still use the reusable bag supporting their cause that I got at the Vitamin Shoppe. Looking to purchase another as it fits conveniently in my purse and makes me less dependent on plastic.
09/01/2011 7:07:00 PM CDT
The work that Vitamin Angels is doing is awesome. And, well done to WFM for bringing their product manufacturers together on this. I know this effort wouldn't happen with you and your generous manufacturers
Here's the thing...I noticed that the only manufacturer donation that WFM matches is on their own private label children's supplement tablets. As a natural products retailer which negotiates the largest margins in the business with all supplement manufacturers, it would be nice to see Whole Foods match whatever the manufacturer is donating on all products...and not just promote what is chiefly, and I don't mean to be mean by saying this, the philanthropy of others. How about 25 cents for every private label product sold during the promotion...across the entire line? Come on Whole Foods...you can do more still...and that private label is a cash cow for you. Whatdya' say?
09/02/2011 2:43:55 PM CDT
What a great cause!!!!! Thx!!!
09/02/2011 2:55:02 PM CDT
Wow, I never heard about this program, what a wonderful idea! I will definitely look for these products when I shop.
09/02/2011 8:55:28 PM CDT
A Noble cause..!keep up the good work, and thanks for donating for the post
09/03/2011 2:38:27 AM CDT
Great program! <3
09/03/2011 2:57:38 AM CDT
What an outstanding organization! I've never heard of them. Keep up the excellent work Vitamin Angels!
09/03/2011 7:47:58 AM CDT
This is a great idea! I'm glad that people are making a difference in under-appreciated areas. Vitamins are so important, but most people just think of feeding starving children rather than getting them the proper nutrients. Even children who aren't starving may not be getting their calories from food with enough nutrients. Of course, getting starving children some calories is very important too, to stave off death, but we must not forget the non-caloric parts of diet.
Congratulations, Vitamin Angels!
09/03/2011 9:41:07 AM CDT
This is a great idea! I'm glad that people are making a difference in under-appreciated areas. Vitamins are so important, but most people just think of feeding starving children rather than getting them the proper nutrients. Even children who aren't starving may not be getting their calories from food with enough nutrients. Of course, getting starving children some calories is very important too, to stave off death, but we must not forget the non-caloric parts of diet.
Congratulations, Vitamin Angels!
09/03/2011 9:41:09 AM CDT
Vitamin Angels is truly making a difference in our world. It makes me feel so good to know that I am a part of that difference when I purchase 365 Brand Supplements at Whole Foods. Keep up the awesome work Vitamin Angels.
09/03/2011 3:56:08 PM CDT
What a great way to help people get on their feet.
09/03/2011 4:20:50 PM CDT
Some people really don't understand the importance of such simple and everyday things such as vitamins especially in a society like ours that as a whole is unhealthy. What a wonderful organization.
09/03/2011 6:04:16 PM CDT
Only 80 so far? Kinda sad! But this sounds like a great idea for a neat sounding company. Yay!
09/03/2011 10:20:57 PM CDT
vitamin angels is a great idea. More people need to know of them, Lets spread the word.
09/04/2011 11:32:17 AM CDT
Giving small children some essentials... truly a great cause.
09/04/2011 1:52:54 PM CDT
I will follow Vitamin Angels since Spain!!
09/04/2011 3:46:33 PM CDT
Awesome. I'm hoping my blog readers will help, too.
09/04/2011 4:48:01 PM CDT
Great to know this exists! Thank you!
09/05/2011 12:47:16 PM CDT
Saw this on Eileen C.'s blog - what a great cause!
09/05/2011 5:32:14 PM CDT
Thank you for doing this to help children.
09/05/2011 6:06:09 PM CDT
the BEST kind of networking! Thank you, Whole Foods and Vitamin Angels. :)
09/06/2011 10:27:23 PM CDT
Thank you for all that you do to help others in the world and thank you for contributing for my post.
09/07/2011 9:11:47 AM CDT
Awesome to hear of great things being done in this world!!
09/07/2011 2:52:30 PM CDT
programs like this are awesome keep up the good work wholefoods!
09/07/2011 3:37:37 PM CDT
Yay! Good job vitamin angels :D
09/08/2011 3:28:09 AM CDT