NORTH KINGSTOWN – Nonprofit Edesia announced Thursday that it is launching a new corporate giving program, allowing companies to participate in producing its humanitarian ready-to-eat food and co-brand the boxes before they are shipped out to aid workers around the world.
The pilot began with toy, game and entertainment company Hasbro Inc., which shipped out a container of Plumpy’Nut and Plumpy’Sup food to the International Medical Corps in Somalia, where recurrent droughts have left 6.2 million people in need of assistance.
“Working together with Hasbro was a perfect fit for us and a perfect start for this new program that has the potential to transform the lives of so many malnourished children, such as those living through famine in Somalia, Yemen, South Sudan, and Nigeria,” said Edesia’s founder and CEO Navyn Salem in a prepared statement. “We are so thankful that Hasbro placed their trust in us, and it’s our hope that more corporations will partner with us in a similar way – knowing that the strength and resilience of global markets depends on more of the world’s children being healthy.”
Corporations that partner with Edesia will visit the company’s Rhode Island factory, located in the Quonset Business Park, receive training, and then work together as a group to prepare shipments. Edesia suggests a donation of $10,000 and a volunteer staff of 20 employees from participating corporations.
Kate Talerico is a PBN contributing writer.
