December's Volunteer Spotlight is on Misty Hood, who is passionately devoted to our mission of bridging the gap between surplus and need. Misty is leading MedShare's Southeastern Volunteer Container Fundraiser to raise $20,000 to ship vitally-needed medical supplies and equipment to Maine-Soroa Hospital in Niger, ranked by the UN as the world's poorest country and where the mortality rate for children under age five is 25.3%. Misty needs your help in getting these vitally-needed medical items to Maine-Soroa Hospital. Click here to join her in bringing hope and healing to people of Niger.
Now, a little bit about Misty...
Name: Misty N. Hood
Age and Occupation: 31/Insurance Executive Assistant
Hometown: Marietta, GA
Please describe yourself in one sentence.
(Yikes! What a request!) I am a Southern girl who loves to read, eat, cook, travel and volunteer.
When did you first hear about MedShare?
I was seeking a new volunteer opportunity and read about MedShare on the Hands-On-Atlanta website. (Although I am not a member of Hands-On-Atlanta I like to utilize their website on occasion.) I signed up to volunteer one Saturday with my friend Nicole and was immediately hooked.
How would you describe your volunteer experience at MedShare?
To me, volunteering at MedShare is all about learning: learning about medical supplies, learning about recipient countries, their people and their needs, learning how MedShare operates and fulfills the needs of hospitals and medical centers around the world.
How long have you been volunteering at MedShare?
Four years, every 3rd Saturday.
What inspired you to get involved?
I already had a weekly commitment to the Atlanta Community Food Bank but felt the desire to do more, to get involved in a second project on an ongoing basis. MedShare offered convenient hours for volunteering and impressed me with their vision. I thought the mission to keep surplus supplies out of U.S. landfills and ship them to developing countries or with medical missions was innovative and exciting.
What is it that motivates you to keep volunteering at MedShare?
I continue to be motivated by a number of factors, including the enthusiasm of the staff volunteer coordinators and the stories I read and pictures I see of the recipients in the MedShare newsletter or on the bulletin boards in the warehouse. I also love seeing the full pallets of supplies at the end of each shift and knowing they’ll soon be in use in a hospital or medical center in underserved countries such as Ghana or Haiti.
Have you been involved with MedShare in other ways besides sorting supplies? If so, please explain.
Yes, I am a member of the Southeastern Volunteer Council. My focus is on fundraising amongst volunteers. I am currently spearheading the Volunteer Container Fundraiser which seeks to raise $20,000 to ship a container of medical supplies to the Main-Soroa Hospital in Niger, Africa. I am counting on other volunteers like me to make this project a success.
What has been your favorite MedShare moment or story during your time serving with us?
Once a Ghanan tribal chief came to visit MedShare during a Saturday morning sorting session. He personally thanked all of the volunteers for helping to get essential supplies and equipment to his people. Meeting a person who may have benefited from my volunteer work truly made MedShare’s work seem real and vital to me.
