Joyce Eden of Medical Ministries International
Volunteers in the sorting room of a Medical Ministries International warehouse in Fresno.
Joyce Eden showed up at a recent Merced Sunrise Rotary meeting with a message which is hard to believe.
She is the director of Medical Ministries International (MMI), an organization based in Fresno that not only serves the Central Valley, but the entire world.
Every year, millions of dollars worth of medical supplies and equipment go to waste because they are outdated, or left over from procedures.
MMI is an organization which specializes in collecting these medical supplies and gently-used equipment, and sends them to places where these items are scarce. Some supplies, such as a baby scale or blood pressure equipment, are essential. A surprising number of infants die of dehydration in regions where there’s a lack of proper equipment to care for them.
Through the generous donations of medical centers, doctors offices and clinics, and even families who have lost a loved one, the items are collected, sorted, tested and packaged. They are then selected for donation to clinics or hospitals outside of the United States, with the recipient sharing the cost of shipping. The cost of shipping medical supplies in a 40-foot shipping container costs from $15,000 to $20,000
MMI sends a great deal of these medical supplies to nations in Africa, such as Sierra Leone; however, there was a shipment recently to Mongolia.
MMI is a non-profit organization in which 90 percent of the work is done by volunteers. Its main storage buildings are located in Fresno. MMI was started 24 years ago and has been growing steadily ever since. They are on the web at: medministries.org
Eden was born and raised on the west coast of Africa and she has firsthand knowledge of the needs in this underdeveloped area of the world.
According to Eden, not enough people know about Medical Ministries International and she encourages people to Shout Out.
“You are all potential ambassadors,” she said.