Safety National and SLUH Host Project Peanut Butter Luncheon to Aid Malnourished Children in Africa

Safety National Casualty Corporation and St. Louis University High School (SLUH) are hosting a charity event on October 25, 2012, to support Project Peanut Butter. The two St. Louis-based organizations will host a peanut butter luncheon for SLUH students in an effort to draw donations and awareness for the charity.

Project Peanut Butter, developed by St. Louis resident, Mark J. Manary, M.D., provides a peanut paste that treats childhood malnutrition in Africa. Manary invented a generic version of a French formula, created in 1997, that has effectively been proven to recover 96 percent of children treated with the peanut paste.

Safety National will donate the bread and peanut butter and Food Service Consultants, SLUH’s food service provider, will supply milk for the luncheon at SLUH. In exchange for a $5 donation, students will enjoy peanut butter sandwiches and listen to a presentation from Manary. Every five SLUH students who buy a peanut butter sandwich will equate $25 in donations, the cost of providing enough peanut paste to save one child’s life.

For the past two years, St. Louis-based insurance carrier Safety National has held Project Peanut Butter luncheons for employees to support the charity and found an opportunity to expand efforts with the partnership of SLUH. ‘This is a chance for two local organizations to partner with a locally-founded charity to make a global difference,’ said John Paino, chairman of community and philanthropy efforts at Safety National. ‘If it only takes $25 to save a life, imagine the impact that a student body of 1,000 can make.’

SLUH’s president, David Laughlin, expressed affirmation for the opportunity that Project Peanut Butter provides. ’Dr. Manary’s visionary work to address world hunger is a tremendous example of the intersection of intellectual achievement and service to our fellow mankind. Jesuit education hopes to develop students who maximize their gifts and talents to be used in service to the world. St. Louis University High School is proud to partner with Safety National in this year’s Project Peanut Butter luncheon,‘ Laughlin said.

Dr. Manary responds, ‘What Safety National and St. Louis University High School are trying to accomplish with this luncheon is phenomenal. The economy has led to increased commodity costs and decreased donations. Donations mean a great deal to the success of our program and to the families affected by the malnutrition epidemic. I am so proud of each and every student who donates to our cause and that these donations come from the very community in which I live.’

This is the first year that Safety National and St. Louis University High School have partnered to host this event.