MedShare
MedShare is a U.S. nonprofit organization that recovers usable surplus medical supplies and equipment and redistributes them to underserved healthcare facilities and medical mission teams.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
MedShare is a United States nonprofit organization built around the recovery and redistribution of surplus medical supplies and equipment. Its operating model addresses two linked problems: hospitals and medical manufacturers may discard usable supplies, while under-resourced hospitals and clinics—particularly in developing countries—may lack basic equipment and consumables. MedShare collects donated materials from U.S. hospitals, manufacturers, distributors, and other healthcare-sector sources, processes and inventories them, and makes them available for humanitarian use. The organization was founded in 1998 by nonprofit entrepreneur A.B. Short and retired businessman Bob Freeman. The founders were motivated by the environmental cost of medical waste and by the shortage of essential healthcare supplies in underserved communities. Early discussions with hospitals and medical professionals indicated broad support for a structured surplus-collection program. MedShare shipped its first 40-foot container of medical supplies to Costa Rica in 1999. MedShare distributes materials through two principal channels. Qualified hospitals and clinics can receive direct international shipments, while medical mission teams can obtain commonly needed supplies for short-term work abroad. Its technology-based inventory system allows eligible recipients to identify and custom-order supplies for a shipment. This approach is intended to improve the fit between donated materials and recipient needs while reducing unnecessary transport and waste. The organization expanded from its original operations into a broader U.S. distribution network. Its national headquarters and Southeastern distribution center are in Decatur, Georgia, and its Western Region Distribution Center is in San Leandro, California. A larger warehouse opened in 2005, and the San Leandro facility formally opened in 2008. The organization also established a New York Regional Council in 2011 and explored possible expansion in the Mid-Atlantic and South Florida regions. By the period covered in the available reference material, MedShare had shipped more than 750 forty-foot containers of medical supplies and equipment, with a stated value exceeding $100 million, to healthcare facilities in 88 countries over 14 years of service. Earlier milestones included shipment of the 400th container in 2008, the 500th in 2009, and the 600th in 2010. In 2010, MedShare shipped more than 100 containers in a single calendar year and reported an inventory of 500,000 medical supplies. It also reported diverting more than two million cubic feet of material from landfills by 2011. MedShare finances its operations through corporate, foundation, and individual support, supplemented by in-kind donations of medical supplies. Its partnerships have included healthcare organizations, corporations, religious entities, foundations, and other nonprofit groups. The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation provided a major program grant in 2009 for shipping containers to specified African hospitals, while a partnership with The Atlantic Philanthropies was associated with planned shipments to Vietnam. In response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, MedShare shipped medical supplies, supported medical mission teams, and provided biomedical-equipment training. Governance is provided by a volunteer Board of Trustees responsible for fiduciary, strategic, and generative oversight. The available reference describes a 19-member board and a national staff of 37 people at that time. MedShare has also received external recognition, including a four-star rating from Charity Navigator and repeated recognition through California’s Waste Reduction Awards Program. The available material does not establish the organization’s current leadership, scale, financial position, or geographic footprint beyond the historical information summarized here.
History
MedShare was founded in 1998 by A.B. Short and Bob Freeman after the two became concerned about the simultaneous growth of medical waste and the lack of basic healthcare resources in underserved countries. Short brought nonprofit experience, while Freeman was a retired businessman. Their concept was to recover usable medical supplies and equipment that hospitals and medical companies might otherwise discard, then channel those materials to healthcare providers with demonstrated needs. The founders consulted hospitals and medical professionals while developing the collection model. According to the available account, every hospital approached during the early discussions agreed to participate in a surplus-collection program. MedShare shipped its first 40-foot container to Costa Rica in 1999. A major early institutional grant came from the Woodruff Foundation in 2000, providing $250,000 and helping establish a stronger base for operations. During the early 2000s, shipment activity increased. The number of medical-supply shipments doubled from 15 to 30 between 2002 and the surrounding reporting period. In 2005, MedShare moved into a 50,000-square-foot warehouse to accommodate increasing donations and operational requirements. By 2006, the organization reported having shipped $35 million worth of medical supplies and equipment overseas. A substantial capital campaign in 2007 raised $6.2 million for the purchase and endowment of MedShare’s national headquarters in Decatur, Georgia, technology upgrades, and national expansion. The organization expanded its physical presence with the opening of a Western Region Distribution Center in San Leandro, California, in 2008. That year it shipped its 400th 40-foot container of medical aid. MedShare marked its tenth anniversary in 2009, the same year it shipped its 500th container. It also supplied 254 medical mission teams with materials for short-term overseas healthcare work and reported that more than 10,000 volunteers had served at its distribution centers. Corporate and philanthropic partnerships became an important part of the operating model. The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation provided a $400,000 grant for containers destined for specified African hospitals. In 2010, MedShare shipped more than 100 containers in one calendar year and reached its 600th container. The organization reported that its online inventory system contained 500,000 inventoried medical supplies. The system supported a custom-order process through which qualified recipients could select materials for their shipments, helping align donations with actual requirements and reduce waste. MedShare also responded to the Haiti earthquake with 28 containers of supplies, support for more than 83 medical mission teams, and biomedical equipment training. California recognized the organization through its Waste Reduction Awards Program for a second consecutive year, and MedShare reported a fundraising year in which total support increased by more than 30 percent. By 2011, MedShare reported diverting more than two million cubic feet of material from landfills. It entered a partnership with The Atlantic Philanthropies connected to substantial container shipments to Vietnam, established a New York Regional Council, and considered expansion into additional U.S. regions. Meridith Rentz was appointed CEO and President. The available historical description presents MedShare as a U.S.-based nonprofit with an international mission, governed by a volunteer Board of Trustees and supported by corporate, foundation, individual, and in-kind contributions. The organization’s distribution model has two main components: direct shipments to qualified international hospitals and clinics, and supply support for medical mission teams. Its headquarters and Southeastern distribution center are in Decatur, Georgia, while its Western Region Distribution Center is in San Leandro, California. The available source states that, over 14 years of service, MedShare shipped more than 750 containers valued at over $100 million to facilities in 88 countries. These figures are historical and are not treated as current operating statistics here.
- 2011
Regional development and leadership transition
[1]MedShare establishes a New York Regional Council, explores further U.S. expansion, and appoints Meridith Rentz CEO and President.
- 2010
First year exceeding 100 containers
[1]MedShare ships more than 100 containers in a calendar year and reaches its 600th container.
- 2009
Tenth anniversary and 500th container
[1]MedShare marks ten years of service and ships its 500th medical-aid container.
- 2008
Western Region Distribution Center opens
[1]MedShare opens its Western Region Distribution Center in San Leandro, California, and ships its 400th container.
- 2007
Capital campaign supports national expansion
[1]MedShare secures a $6.2 million capital campaign for its national headquarters, technology improvements, and expansion.
- 2005
Move to larger warehouse
[1]MedShare moves into a 50,000-square-foot warehouse to support growing donations and operations.
- 2002
Shipment volume expands
[1]Reported medical-supply shipments increase from 15 to 30.
- 2000
First major foundation grant
[1]The Woodruff Foundation awards MedShare a $250,000 grant.
- 1999
First international container shipped
[1]MedShare ships its first 40-foot container of medical supplies to Costa Rica.
- 1998
MedShare is founded
[1]A.B. Short and Bob Freeman establish MedShare to recover usable medical surplus and redirect it to underserved healthcare providers.
Products and positioning
MedShare positions itself at the intersection of medical humanitarian aid, healthcare resource recovery, and environmental waste reduction. Its distinctive proposition is to turn usable surplus from the U.S. healthcare system into organized, needs-matched shipments for underserved healthcare providers and mission teams.
Medical supplies · 1998
Recovered medical supplies
MedShare collects usable surplus consumables and other medical materials from hospitals, manufacturers, distributors, and related healthcare sources. The materials are sorted, processed, inventoried, and made available to qualified recipient institutions or medical mission teams. The model seeks to keep usable supplies out of landfills while directing them toward documented healthcare needs.
Medical equipment · 1998
Hospital and biomedical equipment
MedShare redistributes donated hospital and biomedical equipment to underserved facilities. Its humanitarian response work has also included biomedical equipment training, helping recipient teams use donated equipment in short-term or longer-term healthcare settings.
Humanitarian logistics
Custom international supply shipments
Qualified hospitals and clinics can use MedShare’s inventory system to identify and request needed items for an international shipment. Custom ordering is a central operational feature because it improves the match between available donations and recipient requirements and can reduce the shipment of unsuitable or unnecessary materials.
Humanitarian medical support
Medical mission team supply support
MedShare supplies medical mission teams with commonly needed materials for short-term healthcare work abroad. This channel complements direct institutional shipments and allows mission teams to obtain organized supplies for field activities.
Marketing campaigns
- 2010Haiti earthquake response
Haiti
MedShare organized a humanitarian response after the Haiti earthquake, combining containerized medical-supply shipments with support for medical mission teams and biomedical equipment training.
Outcome. The organization reported shipping 28 containers, supporting more than 83 medical mission teams, and delivering biomedical equipment training.
- 2009Africa hospital container program
Africa
With support from the Coca-Cola Africa Foundation, MedShare funded container shipments to specified hospitals in Africa.
Outcome. The foundation awarded MedShare a $400,000 program grant for the shipping effort.
- 2007National headquarters and expansion capital campaign
United States
MedShare conducted a $6.2 million capital campaign to purchase and endow its national headquarters in Decatur, upgrade technology, and support national expansion.
Outcome. The campaign supported the organization’s headquarters, technology development, and expansion plans.
Brand decisions
2010
Use inventory technology for needs-matched shipmentsOtherBackground
International recipients may need particular categories and quantities rather than unrestricted assortments of donated materials.
Action taken
MedShare used a technology-based inventory system that allowed qualified recipients to custom-order items for their shipments.
Aftermath
The organization described the system as a way to improve shipment relevance and reduce waste.
2007
Fund national infrastructure and expansionStrategyBackground
Growing donations and shipment activity required additional facilities, technology, and organizational capacity.
Action taken
MedShare pursued a $6.2 million capital campaign for its national headquarters, technology upgrades, and national expansion.
Aftermath
The organization subsequently operated from a national headquarters and Southeastern distribution center in Decatur, Georgia, alongside its Western Region facility in San Leandro, California.
Capital campaign amount. $6.2 million secured (2007)
1998
Adopt a recovery-and-redistribution modelStrategyBackground
The founders identified both the environmental burden of discarded medical materials and shortages at underserved healthcare facilities.
Action taken
MedShare created a nonprofit system for collecting, processing, inventorying, and redistributing usable medical supplies and equipment.
Aftermath
The model developed into direct international shipments and supply support for medical mission teams.
Recent events
- 2011
MedShare establishes New York Regional Council[1]
Other
MedShare established a New York Regional Council and explored possible expansion in the Mid-Atlantic and South Florida regions.
- 2011
Meridith Rentz appointed CEO and President[1]
Leadership change
Meridith Rentz was appointed to lead MedShare as CEO and President.
- 2010
MedShare responds to the Haiti earthquake[1]
Other
Following the devastating Haiti earthquake, MedShare shipped 28 containers of medical supplies, supported more than 83 medical mission teams, and provided biomedical equipment training.
- 2009
MedShare receives major Coca-Cola Africa Foundation grant[1]
Other
The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation awarded MedShare a $400,000 program grant to support shipping containers to specified hospitals in Africa.
Sources3 sources
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