Nunda, NY—Over 21,000 pounds of peanut butter were donated in April to the charity Feed the Children by seed and nut butter manufacturer Once Again Nut Butter. The 44 drums of peanut butter, weighing in at 480 pounds each, are being put to use in supporting victims of natural disasters in the Philippines and elsewhere.

In the Philippines, a long stretch of storms and torrential rains left much destruction and many displaced last year. By itself, Tropical Storm Trami on August 17^th caused floods and landslides in 11 provinces, leaving nearly 200,000 people homeless, and it was followed by other storms.

The devastation of the 2013 monsoon season prompted action by the company. “When the disaster hit, many of our employee-owners came to me and asked what we could do to help the victims,” says Gael Orr, communications manager for Once Again Nut Butter. She adds that the company got similarly involved after the earthquake in Haiti, the earthquake and typhoons in Japan and other disasters.

Due to customs issues currently encountered when shipping to the Philippines, some of the donation will likely need to be used by Feed the Children to help people in the United States and elsewhere. The organization, Orr says, is working hard to make sure the donation helps save lives.

“After talking with UNISEF and the Red Cross and finding most charities weren’t looking for anything other than cash donations to buy items inside of the country, we were delighted to find a charity that is fighting the system. It was really important to our workers to donate actual butter,” Orr says. Feed The Children delivers nourishing meals to more than 350,000 children every school day.

Published in WholeFoods Magazine, June 2014 (online 5/2/14)