Miami University's campus is littered with both men and women sporting the trendy TOMS Shoes. If you buy a pair of TOMS Shoes, the company donates a pair of shoes to a child in need.
Two Miami students are doing more than just buying a pair of TOMS to help children in need. Junior Katie Arlinghaus and sophomore Andrew Douglas are campus representatives for Two Degrees Food Company.
"It's not a nonprofit organization, it's a social enterprise, and it's a business that does good things and makes money at the same time," Arlinghaus said.
Two Degrees Food Company is the TOMS Shoes of the food industry and Douglas and Arlinghaus said they are hoping to make the bars as popular with college students as TOMS are. For every Two Degrees bar bought, a meal is donated to a hungry child in India, Haiti, Kenya, Malawi or Somalia. According to Arlinghaus, Two Degrees' mission, "is to empower you, the consumer, to help feed 200 million hungry children through just two degrees of separation."
According to Arlinghaus, the company sells four flavors of nutritional bars that are gluten free, vegan, low sodium, all natural and on top of all that the wrappers are all made out of recyclable material. As of now, the flavors are apple pecan, cherry almond, chocolate peanut and chocolate banana. Later this year, the company will be coming out with protein bars as well.
Arlinghaus and Douglas said their goal is to get the bars in as many retail spaces as possible. They have succeeded in getting them sold at the McCracken Market and Greystone Market. Off campus, Two Degrees Bar is sold at Moon Co-Op and True West Coffee Shop in West Hamilton.
Miami junior, Molly Tyler has purchased Two Degrees Bars at McCracken Market.
"Two Degrees Bars are not only delicious but also help the feed a hungry child," Tyler said.
According to Tyler, chocolate peanut is her favorite flavor.
Both Arlinghaus and Douglas said Two Degrees Food Company does not distribute the meals themselves but partner with non-profit organizations. This network of non-profit partners are located in developing countries and distribute the meals through health clinics, schools and community groups in areas that are plagued with chronic hunger and malnutrition.
The company relies on its partners to tell them where there is a gap between demand and supply of food for hungry children in their work. Some of Two Degrees Food Company's partners include, Action Against Hunger, Akshaya Patra Foundation, Partners in Health and Valid Nutrition.
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Douglas said he first got involved with Two Degrees Food Company because he wanted to make a difference in the world and gain marketing experience at the same time. He was told about the company and their mission from one of his friends.
Arlinghaus became aware of the company after she found out she was intolerant to gluten and had to change her diet. After she discovered the bars, she learned about the company's mission to alleviate childhood malnutrition and wanted to become involved.
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