Serve First
Univera is rooted in caring — for self, for nature, for the world, and for the community.
Owner Bill Lee's astute business acumen in growing and sustaining the ECONET family of companies provides unique opportunities to give something back. One of the first humanitarian projects that he ever took on through the business was to cultivate a rice plantation in the Maritime Province of Russia and send 400 tons of rice to feed people suffering from severe famine in North Korea.
It seems like a pretty big pair of shoes to step into, but taking on the mantle of social responsibility, using successes in business to make the world a better place translates across continents at the ECONET. And Univera North America is no different in making it a priority to find ways to contribute to local communities. Thanks to the company's non-profit organization, Serve First, the collective Univera community, consisting of Corporate staff, Associates, and Customers is able to come together and work toward a common purpose, contributing time, money, or both to help ease just a little bit of the suffering that exists in the world today.
Most contributions of time and money are on the local scale, relative to where the person or group is based. But Serve First has able to extend its outreach thanks to its partnership with Vitamin Angels, a non-profit organization based in Santa Barbara, Calif., that works with manufacturers, retailers, corporations, and individuals to distribute nutritional supplements to children and mothers in need of vital nutrients both domestically and around the world.
In areas where poverty, a poor economy, rampant unemployment, drugs, and/or crime have become too commonplace, "nutrition is one of the areas you can have an impact on," said Howard Schiffer, CEO of Vitamin Angels. "Without adequate nutrition, you can't deal with the other crises that you're facing," he said. Ruleville, Miss.
It was with Vitamin Angels' help that Univera was able to bring its Essentials product to a devastatingly poor area of the United States and help feed some of the most innocent victims of the poverty: the children.
Packed in 3.3 oz. kid-friendly bottles, Essentials provides the most efficient and tasty way to bring complete nutrition to the children, he said.
In two years' time, school officials report a drastic drop in student sick absences. While a total of 1,992 absences were recorded in 2005, that number dropped to just 92 in 2007.
Univera's Associates have been at the core of Serve First's success in being able to bring better nutrition to those in need, all around the world. They have given generously to this program, and for every dollar donated to this tax-deductible effort, Univera matches the amount (up to $100,000 annually).
In the summer of 2008 as Hurricanes Ike and Gustav barreled into parts of Louisiana and Texas causing widespread devastation, Univera worked with Nourish America, also a non-profit that provides foods and nutritional supplements to the hungry and needy, to send $73,151.10 worth of Essentials to those displaced by the hurricanes in Houston and Chauvin, La.
To date, Univera Serve First has given more than $1.5 million, both in the form of nutritional products and monetary donations, to needy children in impoverished areas. And through charities, community organizations, and private donations, Univera Associates have given countless hours, dollars, and support back to their individual communities.
To learn more visit www.servefirst.org.
"Never before has man had such a great capacity to control his own environment, to end hunger, poverty and disease, to banish illiteracy and human misery. We have the power to make the best generation of mankind in the history of the world."
— President John F. Kennedy
Serve Always
The donation of funds and essential nutrition is an important way for Univera to give back, but it is just one part of our overarching belief that money (and product) alone can't make the world a brighter place. Volunteerism, or time devoted to each other " given generously, without hesitation or conditions " is the most priceless commodity the members of the Univera community can share, and we do it freely.
As a way to foster this spirit of volunteerism, Univera has dedicated one month each year to service. Dubbed "Serve Always" month, it is a time to turn the spotlight back on to the local communities in which we live, examine
where help is needed most, and roll up our sleeves to help. From helping Habitat for Humanity build a new home, to spending time at a convalescent home, or any number of projects, Univera community members find great satisfaction in a hard day's work and making a difference for someone else.
And the community is responding to that call to action with vigor. Independent Associate Andre Bedard, in the last two years, has taken this call to action as his own to help local children in his native Quebec who are battling leukemia. "This year, I went to Vietnam and rode 500K on my bicycle to raise money for the leukemia foundation. We collected $12,000. We also try to connect the oncologists with Univera and give them Essentials for the children, because they need good nutrition with their treatment."
Respect for Environment
While every company should be a good steward of its resources, we feel a particular obligation to protect the natural environment that provides the resources we use to create products that help people achieve their highest and best. We ship our products in recycle-friendly, chemically untreated boxes. Our farms regularly recycle our vegetation waste for soil enrichment in order to improve soil richness and yield. We continue to seek ways to improve energy efficiency at our various facilities, and there is much more innovation to come.