Rippey Teen Leads Campaign To Help Haitians With Soy

ANKENY, Iowa - ANKENY, Iowa – Between high school classes, sports, preparing for college exams and prom, Iowa teen Schyler Bardole is also organizing a May 8 dinner to benefit the World Soy Foundation’s work in Haiti. Schyler has named the project Relieving Undernourishment with Soy in Haiti (RUSH).

The son of Tim and Lori Bardole, Schyler’s goal is to provide a SoyCow or VitaGoat soyfood processing equipment to help people in Haiti.

“When Haiti suffered the 7.0 earthquake, I heard about all the food being sent for relief,” Schyler says. “I thought to myself, food can only be eaten once so sending food is only a quick fix to a big problem. Sending soy processing machines can continually provide a protein source that could save lives. This would be a possible solution to a big problem.”

The May 8 dinner will take place 6 p.m. at the Grand Junction Presbyterian Church. Everyone will order from a menu with prices ranging from $100 chimichangas to $15 fajitas and $5 tacos. The price of the selected meal will determine how much each person will contribute. No matter what they order, everyone will receive tortilla soup, an opportunity to eat at the taco bar, Mexican Wedding Cake and a drink.

To RSVP, contact Angela Abbas at (515) 360-1226. Those who are unable to attend but would like to donate may make checks to World Soy Foundation and send them to Schyler Bardole, 2074 285th St., Rippey, IA 50235. Schyler’s goal for the dinner is to raise $1000.

Guests’ contributions will be based on the same innovative approach used at a successful fundraiser in March, when Schyler worked through his hometown church youth group in Rippey, Iowa, to host a spaghetti dinner. At that event, everyone ordered off menus with foods that varied from lobster to duck to spaghetti. No matter what they ordered, the guests received a spaghetti meal. They paid the price of the entrée they ordered, with the difference being their donation to the World Soy Foundation. Schyler’s grandfather, Roy Bardole, who is the World Soy Foundation Chairman, helped field questions on the technology of the soyfood processing equipment as well as training needed to support it. The $1000 raised for the World Soy Foundation whetted Schyler’s appetite to do another fundraiser.

“Schyler’s efforts are going to nourish children and adults with soy protein to help them build a better future for Haiti,” said World Soy Foundation Executive Director Nathan Ruby. “We are grateful to such a compassionate and determined teen.”

A SoyCow is a processing system that can grind and cook whole soybeans into soymilk, from which beverages, soya “cheese” (tofu), yogurt and other soyfoods can be made. One pound of dry soybeans makes approximately one gallon of soymilk or yogurt. VitaGoats work similarly but are powered by a cycle grinder instead of electricity. The World Soy Foundation and its partners have worked with groups in numerous developing countries that now use the SoyCows and VitaGoats to produce foods for orphanages and still have food available to sell, making the operations economically sustainable.

Iowa soybean growers and their peers across the nation were instrumental in creation of the World Soy Foundation, a 501c3 charitable organization. For more information about the World Soy Foundation, go to www.worldsoyfoundation.org

The Iowa Soybean Association develops policies and programs that help farmers expand profit opportunities while promoting environmentally sensitive production using the soybean checkoff and other resources. The Association is governed by an elected volunteer board of 21 farmers.

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Funded by the soybean checkoff