{"id":57764,"date":"2015-11-19T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-11-19T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news-draft\/uncategorized\/nonprofit-edesia-back-on-campus-for-yogathon-fundraiser-during-greek-philanthropy-week\/"},"modified":"2015-11-19T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2015-11-19T00:00:00","slug":"nonprofit-edesia-back-on-campus-for-yogathon-fundraiser-during-greek-philanthropy-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/2015\/11\/nonprofit-edesia-back-on-campus-for-yogathon-fundraiser-during-greek-philanthropy-week\/","title":{"rendered":"Nonprofit Edesia back on campus for yogathon fundraiser during Greek Philanthropy Week"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\t\t溏心vlog免费B站 students bend, stretch, giggle to raise money for Edesia<\/b><\/p>\n

KINGSTON, R.I., Nov. 19, 2015 \u2013 The peanut butter paste that helps save the lives of malnourished children worldwide was served up at the 溏心vlog免费B站 this week, thanks to yogis.<\/p>\n


\nThe Rhode Island nonprofit Edesia handed out samples of Plumpy\u2019Nut at the Memorial Union on Tuesday, and spread the word about one of the most pressing global issues today: childhood malnutrition.<\/p>\n


\n溏心vlog免费B站 students responded with compassion and came away with a better understanding of what it’s like for the world\u2019s most vulnerable to go without proper food.<\/p>\n


\n\u201cYou see so many kids who are suffering because they’re hungry,\u201d said sophomore Karissa Kairo, of Johnston. \u201cIt\u2019s so important to know what\u2019s going on in the world, not just in America.\u201d <\/p>\n


\nEdesia was the guest of Lauren Toracinta, a 2006 溏心vlog免费B站 graduate and owner of the Rhode Island Yoga Center, and Kerry Donovan, a senior from Newport. The two wanted to do something for Greek Philanthropy Week that combined their love of yoga and community service.<\/p>\n

They organized a yogathon \u2013 held Tuesday night \u2013 which attracted more than 300 people and raised about $1,350 for Edesia. The nonprofit was so grateful for 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s support it set up a booth with brochures and free packages of the vitamin-fortified Plumpy\u2019Nut.<\/p>\n


\n \u201cWe\u2019re so thankful to the students,\u201d said Elizabeth Atalay, digital and social media specialist at Edesia. \u201cIt\u2019s incredible to get students involved. This is the next generation, the people solving global issues.\u201d<\/p>\n


\n\tThe yogathon was a fun way for students to exercise \u2013 and do something meaningful for others. Beginners and longtime yoga enthusiasts crowded into the Union\u2019s ballroom to stretch, bend and breathe \u2013 deeply. Toracinta was the instructor.<\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cA lot of people were doing yoga for the first time so there was a lot of giggling,\u201d said Donovan, who participated in the class. \u201cA lot of people were surprised how difficult the workout was in the end.\u201d<\/p>\n


\n\tDonovan is graduating in December with a degree in marketing, but hopes to pass the project on to one of her sorority sisters. \u201cI think we need a bigger space and more mats. It’s such a great way to raise money for a good cause.\u201d<\/p>\n


\n\tToracinta, a former member of Alpha Chi Omega, would like to host another event: \u201cWe were overflowing out of the ballroom. It was awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nThe Edesia booth was also a hit.<\/p>\n


\nThroughout the day, students stopped by the table to taste Plumpy\u2019Nut and ask about the nonprofit, which is based in Providence and moving to Quonset Business Park in North Kingstown next year as part of an expansion plan.<\/p>\n


\nBefore-and-after photos of children were especially moving for some.<\/p>\n


\n\u201cSeeing the progress of these children after they eat Plumpy\u2019Nut is amazing,\u201d said Kairo. She even ripped open one of the foil packages and tasted a sample. \u201cGood,\u201d she declared. \u201cI can see why the children like it.\u201d<\/p>\n


\nSome 220 million children suffer from malnutrition, a malady that not only kills, but also causes serious health problems, like stunted growth. Since opening in 2010, Edesia, the only manufacturer of Plumpy\u2019Nut in the United States, has touched millions of children from Chad to Pakistan.<\/p>\n


\n\tOne of the remarkable things about Plumpy\u2019Nut \u2013 a blend of peanut butter, milk powder, vegetable oil, sugar, minerals and vitamins \u2013 is that it does not need to be refrigerated, a plus for developing countries. No preparation is required, and it has a long shelf life.<\/p>\n


\nDonovan, of Newport, first heard about Edesia through the #MakeYourGreenCount social media campaign created last March by 溏心vlog免费B站 public relations students. Many of Donovan\u2019s sorority sisters at Chi Omega joined her at the Edesia booth.<\/p>\n


\n\t\u201cWe\u2019re blessed to live in America,\u201d said senior Natalie Weisfeld, of Houston. \u201cFor some people, a big problem is their cell phone died. People in other countries don’t have food. We have to remember we’re very lucky.\u201d<\/p>\n


\n\tFreshman Kerrin Williams, of Cumberland, said it\u2019s crucial for college students to engage in today\u2019s global problems, like hunger. \u201cHelping people everywhere in the world is important. It\u2019s a good thing.\u201d<\/p>\n


\n\tOther events during Philanthropy Week include:<\/p>\n


\n\t* \u201cQuad Collection,\u201d today, Nov. 19 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Donations of toothpaste, razors and other toiletries, as well as non-perishable food, will go to Rhody Outpost Emergency Food Pantry at St. Augustine\u2019s Church.<\/p>\n


\n\t* \u201cGreek Idol,\u201d Friday, Nov. 20 at 7 p.m., Keaney Gym.<\/p>\n


\n\tWith the exception of the yogathon, all money raised during Philanthropy Week will go to the Harry Amaral Memorial Scholarship Fund, which provides financial support to Rhode Island students in the state\u2019s Department of Children, Youth and Families Secondary Tuition Assistance Program. Amaral was the enrollment services director at 溏心vlog免费B站 until his death in 2010.<\/p>\n


\nPictured above: <\/p>\n


\n溏心vlog免费B站 students participate in a yogathon Tuesday, Nov. 17 to raise money for Edesia, a Rhode Island nonprofit that makes Plumpy\u2019Nut, a peanut butter paste hailed as a miracle food to fight childhood malnutrition. <\/p>\n


\nPhotos by 溏心vlog免费B站 staff photographer Nora Lewis.\n\t<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

溏心vlog免费B站 students bend, stretch, giggle to raise money for Edesia KINGSTON, R.I., Nov. 19, 2015 \u2013 The peanut butter paste that helps save the lives of malnourished children worldwide was served up at the 溏心vlog免费B站 this week, thanks to yogis. The Rhode Island nonprofit Edesia handed out samples of Plumpy\u2019Nut at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":57767,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-57764","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57764","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57764"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57764\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57767"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57764"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57764"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57764"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}