CONCORD, N.C. — PreGel AMERICA, the U.S. subsidiary of the largest specialty dessert ingredient manufacturer in the world today, announced an exciting new partnership with Smile Train, an international children's charity that provides 100%-free cleft repair surgery and comprehensive cleft care to children in 85+ developing countries. The organization's overall goal to bring smiles to children's faces aligns with PreGel's ambition to bring smiles to people's faces with authentic Italian treats. PreGel launched the year-long Smile for a Smile campaign at booth #7113 during this year's National Restaurant Association Show at Chicago's McCormick Convention Center, May 21-24, 2016.
"When I left Italy, one of my aspirations was to bring smiles to the people of North America the way I saw my family bring so many smiles to people with gelato," says Marco Casol, President & CEO, PreGel America. "The efforts of Smile Train correlate with our own, which is why we believe this partnership will be very successful and beneficial to children around the world," Casol continues.
"We are excited to launch our Smile Train partnership with PreGel to give children with clefts around the world not only new smiles, but new lives," said Masha Feiguinova, Senior Director, Corporate Partnerships at Smile Train.
Smile Train's local in-country medical partners provide surgeries, care, and support to children born with clefts. These surgeries can be provided for as little as a $250 donation. Through the Smile for a Smile campaign, PreGel is inviting people to interact with us by posting pictures on social media of dessert consumers smiling while they enjoy gelato, ice cream, soft serve, or pastry. For each photo submitted throughout the year with the hashtag #PreGelSmiles, PreGel will donate $1 to Smile Train, up to $7,500.
PreGel is excited to kick off this initiative at our NRA booth #7113 utilizing photo props provided by Smile Train, and have people pose for photos with their artisanal treat as the start of a successful campaign. To learn more about Smile Train, visit smiletrain.org.
About PreGel AMERICA
PreGel America is the U.S. subsidiary of PreGel, a global ingredient company headquartered in Reggio Emilia, Italy. PreGel develops, manufactures, and distributes authentic ingredients, toppings, and fillings of the highest quality from Italy, including flavors, powders and pastes used in gelato, soft serve, frozen yogurt, pastry and other specialty desserts. With facilities in Charlotte, NC, Los Angeles, CA, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, PreGel sells directly to restaurants, gelato cafes, coffee shops, frozen yogurt shops, bakeries, patisseries, pizzerias, hotels, resorts, casinos, grocery stores and noncommercial foodservice, as well as select distributors in the United States. PreGel believes in blending Your Passion with Our Ingredients. For more information, visit www.pregelamerica.com.
About Smile Train
Smile Train is an international children's charity with a sustainable approach to a single, solvable problem: cleft lip and palate. Millions of children in developing countries with untreated clefts live in isolation, but more importantly, have difficulty eating, breathing and speaking. Cleft repair surgery is simple, and the transformation is immediate. Our sustainable model provides training, funding and resources to empower local doctors in 85+ developing countries to provide 100%-free cleft repair surgery and comprehensive cleft care in their own communities. To learn more about how Smile Train's sustainable approach means donations have both an immediate and long-term impact, please visit smiletrain.org.
Source: PreGel AMERICA
