Vitamin Angels, a nonprofit organization founded in 1994 dedicated to providing vitamins to vulnerable populations at greatest risk of malnutrition, has announced the launch of the Healthy Futures Initiative, a unified effort to address the long-term impacts of COVID-19 in vulnerable communities throughout the U.S. and the globe. Vitamin Angels is seeking to raise $500,000 to support health services around the world which have seen an increased global demand due to the pandemic.
 
To date, the organization has provided 70 million children with vitamins that are critically needed. They operate in 70 countries to date, and have formed over 2,500 partnerships.
 
The organization reports that, with health systems overwhelmed and food systems disrupted, families who were already vulnerable are experiencing an even more acute risk now for malnutrition following the onset of the health crisis.
 
“Our work has never been more important than right now,” Howard Schiffer, Vitamin Angels founder and president, said. “Our Healthy Futures Initiative will help us meet the increased demand for our nutrition interventions and ensure that nutritionally vulnerable populations receive access to the essential vitamins and minerals they need right now.”
 
Funds from the new initiative will be used to expand the program, and scale up multiple micronutrient supplementation for pregnant women to combat the effects of incremental food insecurity that amplifies the risk of malnutrition and its consequences for vulnerable pregnant women. Additionally, they will be used to expand a vitamin A supplementation program that can leave children at increased risk for illness and infection, and expand the availability of digital training for more service providers working in overwhelmed health systems.
 
The initiative, Vitamin Angels said, will continue through 2020.