Vitamin Angels' Precious Cargo Campaign is Reaching the Unreachable - and You Can Help!

If you’ve been reading the alive blogs recently, you’ve probably read about the amazing organization Vitamin Angels. Vitamin Angels helps distribute life-saving vitamin supplements to people (especially pregnant women, mothers, and children) who are at risk of vitamin deficiencies, which can cause illness and even death. A whopping 30 percent of the developing world’s population suffers from micronutrient deficiencies.

We’ve told readers about Vitamin Angels’ Operation 20/20, their Thrive to Five Program, and how they’re currently celebrating 100 Years of Vitamins. Now, Vitamin Angels is hard at work on their December campaign, called Precious Cargo—and they’re asking for your support.

What is “Precious Cargo”?
Creating vitamins for at-risk populations is only one small part of Vitamin Angels’ story. The distribution of these life-saving micronutrients (truly “precious cargo”), from warehouses in the US to the people who need them, (in some of the hardest-to-reach corners of the world, such as at 13,000 feet elevation, high in the Andes of Peru) is a staggering challenge.

Boats, planes, trains, cars, and even people carrying them by foot for 24 hours, are part of the process. It’s a huge expense. This video about the Precious Cargo campaign shows more about the process.

How can you help?
The goal of the December-long Precious Cargo campaign (featured in our 2012 holiday gift guide) is to raise at least the $200,000 needed to deliver these essential micronutrients to the people who so desperately need them. This will allow 30 million children and mothers to receive vitamins.

That’s why they’re looking for donations from generous individuals. Corporate donors will match donations for individuals, so the money (and vitamins) can go twice as far. To donate or learn more, check out the Precious Cargo website. After all, as Vitamin Angels attest, “the most precious thing in the world is a child’s life.”