Company volunteers worked with local organizations to assist various needs around Joplin. Working with Mission Joplin, some helped organize pallets of donated school supplies in a school warehouse and put together booklets for the school, while others stuffed school backpacks with supplies for students in need. The city of Joplin is making efforts to provide all students and schools with all supplies needed this year so that they have one less concern in attempting to get back to normal life. Other volunteers worked at College Heights Christian Church supplying food and personal items to families in need. The church has been hosting a distribution center for supplies (food, clothing, kids’ toys, general supplies) and volunteers worked sorting and organizing items, helping people “shop” for essentials, and talking with the community for overall support.

 

An additional group worked on the demolition and clean-up of a destroyed house. For many, it was a hot and grueling day, but it was also a day that tugged strongly at their heart-strings. It was a great way for Stratum and ESM to come together to help those in need.

 

 

 

In addition to volunteer efforts, Stratum Nutrition corporate parent, Novus International donated 500 flash drives and more than $30,000 to the Red Cross in support of aid efforts in Joplin through their gift matching program, $15,000 of which was donated directly by company employees.   

 

ESM, located in Carthage only a few miles from Joplin, had an employee who lost his house and vehicle. ESM and Stratum employees stepped in immediately with financial donations for him and his family. ESM also teamed up with Nutra Blend (Neosho, MO) and Forest Park Baptist Church to cook lunch and dinner for victims and volunteers directly after the tornado. ESM donated volunteers and hamburger meat to feed a 1,000 people. The grills and smokers were busy for days feeding those in need.

 

Additional photos from the day can be found on Facebook via Stratum Nutrition or ESM Technologies.

·         13-mile path of destruction

·         6,954 homes destroyed with an additional 875 damaged

·         18,000 cars destroyed

·         159 deaths and 1,150 injured

·         5,000 jobs affected

 

If you would like to help the victims of the tornado in Joplin, Convoy of Hope is an international aid group based in Southwest Missouri. Convoy of Hope has activated its disaster response team to Joplin.

To help, you can text CONVOY to 50555 to donate $10 to relief efforts in Joplin. You can also make a donation on the group’s website: http://www.convoyofhope.org/.

 

Stratum Nutrition, a Novus International Business, is empowering product innovation through functional and specialty ingredients for manufacturers and marketers of foods, beverages and supplementation. Stratum leverages the Novus core competencies in nutritional research and innovation as well as the corporate commitment to protecting the environment by considering economic, environmental and social factors to ensure that its ingredients offer safe, efficient and sustainable health solutions. Stratum offers a portfolio of branded, value-added ingredients that are progressive, safe and reliable. These ingredients are based on consumer need, supported by science and the backing of a trusted multinational company. To learn more about Stratum Nutrition, please visit www.StratumNutrition.com or contact Heather.Thompson@StratumNutrition.com

 

ESM Technologies, the leading supplier of eggshell calcium and eggshell membrane wellness ingredients, is the recipient of the 2011 North American Dietary Supplements for Joint Health New Product Innovation of the Year Award for their NEM® (Natural Eggshell Membrane).  Located in Carthage, Missouri, the company researches, develops and manufactures high-quality branded ingredients from a traceable and sustainable supply of USDA-inspected facilities.  ESM, an NSF GMP certified facility, uses a chemical-free, patented process that allows the introduction of innovative and unique ingredients to the marketplace:  NEM® (Natural Eggshell Membrane) and ESC® (EggShell Calcium). For more information on ESM Technologies, please visit www.ESMingredients.com