AGI Launches StepUp4Ukraine Collaboration
AGI, Mohawk Medbuy, the St. Michael’s Hospital Foundation collaborate to secure and direct-deliver medical supplies.
Toronto, ON, April 4, 2022 – Recognizing the growing humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, Ag Growth International Inc. (AGI) announced, today, a collaboration with the Mohawk Medbuy Corporation (MMC) and the St. Michael’s Hospital Foundation to purchase and deliver emergency medical equipment and supplies to the people of Ukraine.
“With our employees on the ground in Ukraine and our valued AGI customer, Kernel Grain Company (Kernel), we are in a unique position to procure emergency medical supplies, arrange transport from Canada to Poland, and then make them directly available to the people in Ukraine through our on-the-ground employees, resources, and customer logistics," says Tim Close, AGI President and CEO.
To facilitate this initiative, the group is working with the St. Michael’s Foundation, a publicly registered charity, to receive and process all donations.
“Being a part of this collaboration is a natural extension of our mission and values and a way for us to help those in need,” says Lili Litwin, President and CEO, St. Michael’s Hospital Foundation.
MMC, a procurement expert that supports government healthcare purchasing, will work with its vendor network to source and secure the medical supplies most needed in Ukraine including tourniquets, bandages, gauze, oxygen masks and first aid kits.
“We are honored to participate and use our proven abilities to source supplies that address Ukraine’s urgent medical crisis. Together, we can swiftly and effectively procure supplies and leverage transportation channels to deliver as much relief as possible,” says Tony DiEmanuele, MMC President and CEO.
With historic relationships across Ukraine’s grain and ag sector and its in-country employees, AGI and Kernel will leverage their local logistics and delivery capability to act quickly.
“Since the beginning of war in Ukraine, Kernel has been actively supporting medical institutions as well as local towns that suffered from shelling and missile attacks. We seek to use our logistical resources in the most efficient way possible to deliver humanitarian goods and prevent food security crisis in Ukraine. We appeal to our partners to join us in providing necessary aid. Together we can procure medical supplies, equipment, and food as quickly as possible. This would be our common contribution in saving thousands of lives, our common step towards peace,” says Mykola Miroshnichenko, Kernel-Trade Director Manager.
To drive the initiative, AGI has donated $200,000 and established a fundraising effort and voluntary donation link for U.S. and Canada at #StepUp4Ukraine. Every dollar raised will be used to purchase priority items including tourniquets, bandages, gauze, oxygen masks, and first aid kits.
"From farmers to processors, the global agricultural community is a family with a strong legacy of nurturing those in need. This is an urgent call to action for participation on any level. No donation is too small. The medical supply need is great, and time is of the essence,” notes AGI’s Tim Close.
About AGI
AGI is a provider of the physical equipment and digital technology solutions needed to support global food infrastructure including grain, fertilizer, seed, feed, and food processing systems. AGI has manufacturing facilities in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Brazil, India, France, and Italy and distributes its product globally. www.aggrowth.com #StepUp4Ukraine
About Kernel
Kernel is the world’s leading and Ukraine’s largest producer and exporter of sunflower oil, and a major supplier of agricultural products from the Black Sea region to international markets. Kernel exports its products to more than 80 countries of the world. www.kernel.ua/
About St. Michael’s Hospital Foundation
St. Michael’s Hospital Foundation in Toronto, ON is a relentless community of supporters who are galvanized by St. Michael’s Hospital and Providence Healthcare’s ‘never-say-never’ spirit in the face of the toughest health problems of our time. www.stmichaelsfoundation.ca
About Mohawk Medbuy Corporation
Mohawk Medbuy is a national, not-for-profit, shared services organization that supports hundreds of hospitals and non-acute care providers in Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, PEI, Manitoba, and the Yukon. MMC provides efficient, cost-effective procurement of medical/surgical supplies, pharmaceutical products, capital equipment and food/nutrition solutions, as well as warehousing and logistics, accounts payable and linen services. The Burlington-based organization also has offices in London and Brantford and a linen facility in Hamilton. www.mohawkmedbuy.ca