Most of us take peanut butter for granted, but did you know one jar can provide the protein a Haitian child needs for an entire month?
To raise money for the purchase of peanut butter to be sent to Haiti through Operation Ukraine, the State Fountain Bakery on the Mississippi State campus will host an old-fashioned radiothon Friday, Dec. 2, from 6 p.m. to midnight, and Saturday, Dec. 3, from 6 a.m. to midnight. WMSV 91.1 will broadcast live from the site, challenging listeners to come by and make a donation.
Operation Ukraine, based in Columbus, has provided food and supplies to countries worldwide, said Steve Ellis, manager of the non-commercial station located on MSU’s campus.
“This small organization helps out in a big way by shipping 10- to 30-ton containers filled with food, school and medical supplies to countries from Eastern Europe to Latin America and the Middle East to Africa,” he stated.
“Just two tablespoons of peanut butter will give a child the protein they need for a day,” said Operation Ukraine Director Kathy Cadden. “It’s also something that’s easy to ship, and kids like it.”
8,000 jars
WMSV’s student staff hopes to collect enough money to buy 8,000 jars of peanut butter to send to children in Haiti, a country still devastated by the effects of a catastrophic earthquake in 2010.
“Anything we can do to help out Kathy Cadden is time well spent. She and Operation Ukraine do such an amazing job of helping people all over the world,” Ellis said. “It’s an honor to help them in some small way. Hopefully our communities can do as great a job raising funds for peanut butter as the children at Sale Elementary in Columbus did recently, collecting over 1,400 pairs of shoes for Operation Ukraine to distribute to children in need.”
Radiothon donations can be made at several levels. A $10 contribution will buy four jars of peanut butter. A $20 donation will purchase eight jars. Donations of $30 will buy a 12-jar case.
“I want to send out a personal challenge to every parent in the Golden Triangle,” stressed Ellis. “Donate $30 to purchase a case of peanut butter at the radiothon. That case will provide enough protein for 12 Haitian children for a month.”
For a donation of $300 — which buys 10 cases of peanut butter — groups and individuals will receive a half-hour of airtime on WMSV in early 2012 to promote their organization. Local businesses that purchase at that level will receive 75 30-second underwriter announcements on the station during January and February.
The State Fountain Bakery will provide free coffee and peanut butter cookies to everyone who stops by the radiothon and makes a donation. The bakery is located between Colvard Student Union and the University Florist on the MSU campus.
The United States Air Force will fly the peanut butter shipment to Haiti for Operation Ukraine out of Columbus Air Force Base.
“Please join us during this event and help us make a difference for the children of Haiti,” urged Ellis.
For more information about Operation Ukraine, contact Cadden at 662-549-2416.
Jan Swoope is the Lifestyles Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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