Pfizer and Heifer

The name Pfizer may be familiar to people who get their Viagra online, as well as many other medications. What most people don't realize though is that this company also has an Animal Health division which, together with Heifer International, is working to educate low income United States families on successful farming, as a means of bolstering self-sufficiency and combat hunger. Heifer International is a global nonprofit organization founded in 1944 and based in Little Rock Arkansas. Its main objective is to end hunger and poverty without sacrificing sustainability. It does so in part by giving out gifts of livestock, seeds and trees and extensive training to those who need it.

Pfizer AH donated $65,000 to Heifer, a contribution that according to Michael McFarland (DVM, Diplomate ABVP, and Group Director of Veterinary Medical Services & Corporate Citizenship for Pfizer Animal Health) will be used to enhance Heifer programs such as Seeds of Hope. This program is designed to aid communities in the long run, for instance helping families in a southeastern Arkansas impoverished area with the production of food and income through the creation of two learning centers for livestock and horticultural instruction, as well as three farmers markets and a community kitchen.

Supporting Heifer is part of Pfizer AH's commitment to veterinarians platform, which provides training and education, research and development, investing in the future of the veterinary profession, and philanthropy. Heifer International director of Corporate and Foundation Relations Marleen New says that Animal Health understands their mission and see the importance of giving support to programs that educate people and give them the resources to lead a better life now and forever. This falls within Pfizer's bigger picture of improving the quality of life of both people and animals and working in unison with governments and local communities.