AAU Partner READY Nutrition donates water, nutrition bars to AACS

Original article written by Shelley Terry of the Star Beacon can be found here. 

SAYBROOK TOWNSHIP — Ready Nutrition, a Pittsburgh-based sports nutrition company, donated a supply of protein waters and meal bars to Ashtabula Area City Schools on Thursday in an effort to support the district’s free lunch distribution program during the coronavirus pandemic.

The donation came about after Dr. Roger Goudy, president and chief executive officer of the Amateur Athletic Union, reached out to AACS Superintendent Mark Potts and told him he knew an AAU sponsor that was interested in making a donation to a deserving school. 

“He put me in touch with Ready Nutrition and they are graciously making a donation of protein bars and protein water that will be allocated during our lunch distribution,” Potts said. “We are very thankful to Ready Nutrition for the donation and for Dr. Goudy for thinking of Ashtabula.”

Goudy said his brother, Brian, teaches at AACS, and his father, Roger, graduated from Harbor High.

“After talking with Brian and his boss, Dr. Potts, we decided this would be a great fit,” Goudy said. “Thanks to the great work of all the parties involved, we were able to bring this from idea to action in less than a week. We wanted to try and shine some positive light in a time that is very difficult for so many people.”

This isn’t the first time Goudy thought of AACS. In 2018, he arranged for Olympic Gold Medalist Carl Lewis to visit Lakeside High School and speak to the students.

On Thursday afternoon, Ready Nutrition delivered 2,448 bottles of Ready protein water and 1,872 snack protein bars.

“We can’t thank Ready Nutrition enough for their generous donation,” said Pam Peck, AACS’s director of nutrition services. “So many organizations and local businesses have given back to rally behind our school district.”

Peck said the protein drinks and bars will be distributed to students on Fridays, beginning May 8, so students will have them for the weekend.

Ready was founded in 2012 by former University of Pittsburgh basketball player Pat Cavanaugh. Pittsburgh native and Los Angeles Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald is also an investor and owner in the company.

Under their direction, the sports nutrition brand supplies athletes across the country with all-natural products including protein waters, sports drinks, protein bars and functional snacks to boost energy and maintain performance.

Ready’s donation comes on the heels of a recent contributions from Domino’s Pizza, among others.