Point at each year to see the major events in MedShare's history.

  • 1998
  • 1999
  • 2000
  • 2001
  • 2002
  • 2003
  • 2004
  • 2005
  • 2006
  • 2007
  • 2008
Children in Tibet A girl from Tibet Children from an orphanage in Tibet

1998 — MedShare International is established by A.B. Short and Bob Freeman, two concerned Atlanta citizens inspired by two critical situations—the medical needs of underserved populations worldwide and the environmental threat of discarded surplus, much of it destined for incinerators or landfills.

1999 — MedShare ships its first forty-foot medical container to Costa Rica.

2000 — MedShare receives its first significant foundation gift of $250,000 from the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation. This is quite an accomplishment, as Woodruff rarely funds new organizations; it is a "seal of approval" for MedShare.

2001 — MedShare sends 20 forty-foot medical containers to economically developing countries.

2002 — MedShare grows its medical container shipments by 50% and sends 30 forty-foot containers.

2003 — MedShare re-racks and redesigns its warehouse for greater efficiency. The organization ships 40 forty-foot containers to needy hospitals.

2004 — MedShare surpasses its goals and ships 52 forty-foot containers, or one container per week. The organization distributes $5.25 million worth of medical supplies and equipment. In addition, MedShare pilots a project to provide enhanced biomedical services to receiving hospitals; engineers travel onsite to evaluate their equipment needs and help with installation and maintenance training.

2005 — MedShare moves into a 50,000 square-foot facility that is double the size of its previous space. The organization is on track to ship 60 forty-foot medical containers. In addition, an independent research study conducted by Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University confirms that 95% of MedShare respondents have high overall satisfaction with MedShare.

2006 — With the help of an average of 320 volunteers per month, MedShare surpasses a major milestone by shipping $35 million worth of supplies and equipment overseas. In addition, MedShare produces “MedSharing a World of Art,” its first annual art auction, and generates over $20,000 in proceeds—enough to sponsor a medical container shipment to a hospital in need.

2007 — MedShare ships a record 78 forty-foot containers to 30 countries around the world. Expansion to California begins, with the hiring of an Executive Director for the Western Region. MedShare secures $3.9 million in pledges towards the completion of its first ever Capital Campaign. The Capital Campaign will enable MedShare to purchase its Decatur facility and provide seed money for its national expansion.

2008 — MedShare's average weekly intake is now almost 8 tons of medical supplies and equipment. The president of Burundi, Pierre Nkurunziza, visits MedShare.