Help Fight Mental Retardation | Morton Arboretum | Contributions Program | More IDD Information

Help Fight Mental Retardation

Each year, Iodine Deficiency exposes millions of the world's children to the needless suffering of mental retardation and a host of other Iodine Deficiency Disorders.The tragedy is that this could be easily prevented by simply adding iodine to their salt, as Morton did in the U.S. back in the 1920s.

So please join Morton Salt and your local Kiwanis clubs in their efforts to help UNICEF end this worldwide suffering. Just print out this page then clip out the coupon on the right and mail it with your donation today. Thank you.

If you want to learn more about Kiwanis click here.

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Morton Arboretum

We are proud to sponsor The Morton Arboretum a beautiful 1,700-acre botanical garden in Lisle, Illinois. Joy Morton, our company namesake, established the Arboretum in 1922 to encourage the display and study of trees, shrubs, and vines. Today, some 300,000 visitors a year wander the many miles of trails and view more than 3,600 kinds of plants from around the world.

Did you know that Joy Morton's father, J. Sterling Morton, was Secretary of Agriculture under President Grover Cleveland and is considered the founder of Arbor Day?

For more information on all that is happening at this spectacular "garden of trees," call The Morton Arboretum at 630/719-2465.

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Contributions

Morton contributes to the community through financial and educational support as well as the energy and talents of our employee volunteers. Here are just some of the activities we're involved in:

United Way
United Way in Chicago is a large recipient of Morton Salt's contribution effort. Each year Morton Salt coordinates United Way Campaigns at its various Morton locations and makes "in kind" donations of furniture, office equipment and other items to United Way supported agencies. More than 54% of employees participate in the program. For more information on the United Way, call 1-800-725-5314 or www.uwonline.org.

Greater Chicago Food Depository
Morton provides financial support to the Greater Chicago Food Depository's "Kid's Cafe Program" which provides hot meals tutoring and other educational programs for children in an environment to help youngsters feel secure and eager to learn.

Northern Illinois Food Bank
Morton shares the vision of the Food Bank with its support of a "Hunger Free Northern Illinois" through its Mobile Market Program. The program delivers an average of 10,000 pounds of food to the needy with each visit. A converted beverage truck functions as an outdoor market and delivery vehicle.

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More IDD Information

Morton Teams With Kiwanis and UNICEF to Conquer Major World Health Problem
All It Takes is a Spoonful . . . of Iodine

Nearly 1.6 billion people, including 500 million children, live in areas at risk for Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDD), the leading preventable cause of mental retardation in the world today, estimates UNICEF. A person only needs a teaspoon of iodine during a lifetime to prevent IDD, but it has to be consumed continuously, a tiny amount each day.

The use of iodized salt has made the disorders almost unknown in industrialized countries. Now, Morton, Kiwanis International and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) are joining together to virtually eliminate IDD from the remaining at-risk areas. Millions of dollars are at work around the world, funding salt iodization, distribution and education.

Morton has been involved with the issue since 1924, when we began adding potassium iodide to our salt as a preventive measure for goiters. Later, in the 1970s, we began labeling our packages "This salt supplies iodine, a necessary nutrient." We're proud to be part of the campaign to eliminate IDD and help children develop to their full potential.

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