Causes For Women Take a Prominent Role

When most people think about health and wellness, they think of nutrition and fitness. And, of course, in our industry, they think about supplements, too. Health and wellness goes beyond the foods we eat or the workouts we do. While the physical aspect certainly matters, our well-being is also influenced by emotional, intellectual, social, spiritual, financial, and environmental factors. When we at Enzymedica say that our mission is to make great health easier for everyone, we work every day to achieve that. Philanthropy is a foundational value for us, and the People and Planet initiatives we champion are the same ones our team invests their own time and money into.

For the second quarter of 2023, we decided to make our quarterly promotion about more than the bottom line. (Though we are still focused on helping our retail partners and consumers!) So we’re launching a campaign that aims to support causes that help women, while also promoting products for women’s health.*

Supporting Women with Wellness

The Supporting Women with Wellness campaign coincides with Sexual Assault Awareness Month in April. We are partnering with our independent natural products retailers on an initiative to support and uplift women both close to home and around the world. According to RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network), every 68 seconds another American is sexually assaulted (1). This statistic is a depressing and terrifying reality for many women. Personally, this statistic frightens me as I think of how this could impact our mothers, sisters, daughters, friends, and other significant women in our lives. Resources, love, support, and social change are vital to making a difference and ending sexual violence. That is why Enzymedica is proud to work alongside SPARCC, the Safe Place and Rape Crisis Center, supporting women and children in our local community.

“We create products that help women and their families live healthier lives,” said Yasmyn Maccaroni, Vice President of Sales, Natural Retail. “A big part of our company’s mission is to give back through our People and Planet initiative, and that includes a deep-rooted passion for supporting causes involving women and children.”

Throughout the month of April, we are working with our retail partners to host a donation drive to benefit their local “safe places” for women—such as domestic violence shelters or sexual assault crisis centers. Our goal is to collect supplies that can be offered to those who seek domestic violence and sexual assault services.

With this, there will be a sale on select Enzymedica products to support women’s health.* Included in this sale will be Rare Bears from the Rare Bear Project, a nonprofit that teaches unemployed women in South Africa how to crochet as a sustainable source of income. The Rare Bears they craft are given to newly registered patients living with rare diseases, to provide comfort and encouragement. And 100% of the income goes back into the project and the women who make the bears, providing opportunities to gain the skills they need for fulfilling and empowering employment.

Enzymedica Products for Women’s Health*

The Supporting Women with Wellness promotion includes Digest Gold™, Natto-K™, our new “Feel Better Faster” Magnesium formulas, Candidase™, Candidase™ Extra Strength, Pro-Bio™, pH Basic, pH Strips, Purify™ Activated Charcoal Plus, and the 100% whole food multi-vitamins Enzyme Nutrition™ for Women, and Women’s 50+.*

The promo also includes Enzymedica’s new-and-improved Berberine Phytosome, for healthy blood sugar metabolism (2,3).* We chose to highlight Berberine Phytosome in this women’s health promotion because research shows that heart health is overlooked more often in women—and by women. Despite being a product that is formulated for both men and women, we recognize that heart health is important to all people, but we hope that this campaign helps draw attention to that important aspect of well-being in women.* 

Proud to Support the Safe Place and Rape Crisis Center

This campaign is designed to support similar organizations like the one that we’ve been supporting for years in Enzymedica’s home state of Florida. RAINN reported that sexual violence has fallen by half in the last 20 years. This progress provides significant hope, but there is a lot to still be done in order to put an end to sexual violence within in our country.

Domestic violence is, sadly, a common issue that can include child abuse, intimate partner abuse, and elder abuse. It affects an estimated 10 million people in the United Stated each year, with a cost of over $12 billion annually. This type of violence can be hard to identify, and it often goes unreported. Here in Florida, more than 33% of women and 25% of men may experience some type of domestic or sexual assault or violence. And, beyond the physical and emotional toll, such violence can also lead to financial issues and unemployment. As part of our People and Planet commitment, we are honored to support The Safe Place and Rape Crisis Center in Sarasota, Florida.

SPARCC: Saving Lives Today and Tomorrow

Since 1979, the Safe Place and Rape Crisis Center has worked to provide a safe haven and promote empowerment, awareness and social change to end domestic and sexual violence. SPARCC provides help, hope, and healing with empowerment-based services and programs. This nonprofit is the only state-certified center for domestic violence and sexual assault services for Sarasota and DeSoto Counties. All of SPARCC’s services are free and confidential.

In addition to serving survivors of domestic and sexual violence, SPARCC is actively engaged in promoting social change through community awareness and education in an effort to prevent future violence.

SPARCC serves the community through an outreach center in downtown Sarasota, and satellite offices in Venice, North Port, and Arcadia. They have a shelter operating 365 days a year, a 24-hour crisis helpline, counseling, hospital and courthouse accompaniment, legal services, support groups, empowerment programs, and community education.

In the past, we have even found ways to intertwine our support for SPARCC and Rare Bears. To help offer comfort to children impacted by domestic violence, we have donated the unique, “adoptable” crocheted animals made by the talented women in South Africa to SPARCC. The children get a special homemade comfort item, while we get to support the Rare Bears mission and team.

The Impact on Our Local Communities

Here’s a look at how SPARCC helped our local communities during the 2021-2022 fiscal year:

• Emergency Shelter: SPARCC provided safe shelter days to 138 adults and 93 children and 20 pets.
• Advocacy: Their outreach offices offered support to 1,306 survivors of violence. Those services include safety planning, crisis counseling, court advocacy, referrals for community resources, and support groups.
• Helpline and Emergency Room Services: 6,086 helpline callers were provided with crisis counseling and needs assessments.
• Education Program: SPARCC provided youth, law enforcement and medical professionals with individual and group education and prevention services. Helping SPARCC and other nonprofits is a foundational part of the Enzymedica mission. Visit SPARCC.net to learn how you can help.

For more information on how to support a loved one or to talk about something that has happened to you, call the National Sexual Assault Hotline 800.656.HOPE (4673) or chat online at www.rainn.org. It’s free, confidential, and available 24/7. You can also reach out to the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or by chat.

 References

1. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, 2019 (2020). Note: RAINN applies a 5-year rolling average to adjust for changes in the year-to-year NCVS survey data.
2. Yang, J., Yin, J., Gao, H., Xu, L., Wang, Y., and Li, M. Berberine improves insulin sensitivity by inhibiting fat store and adjusting adipokines profile in human preadipocytes and metabolic syndrome patients. Evid. Based Complement. Altern. Med. 2012; 2012: 363845.
3. Perez-Rubio, K.G., Gonzalez-Ortiz, M., Martinez-Abundis, E., Robles-Cervantes, J.A., and Espinel-Bermudez, M.C. Effect of berberine administration on metabolic syndrome, insulin sensitivity, and insulin secretion. Metab. Syndr. Relat. Disord. 2013; 11: 366–369.

* These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.