Mano a Mano has excess durable medical equipment that we are making available for individuals in the Twin Cities, for free, on Saturday, April 24th from 9am-11am. Please send specific requests to [email protected]; we will confirm whether we can fulfill your specific request. Recipients (client or provider picking up the equipment) must sign a liability waiver upon receipt. This project is a collaboration with Twin Cities-area physical therapists to help distribute mobility equipment to some of their clients that have difficulty acquiring needed items.
- WHEN: Saturday, April 24th from 9am-11am
- WHERE: Mano a Mano International, 925 Pierce Butler Route, St. Paul, MN 55104 (outside in the parking lot, in COVID-safe conditions)
- Equipment Readily Available: walkers, rollators, crutches, canes, raised toilet seats, commodes, shower chairs, tub benches, bed rails, glucometers
- Specialized Equipment in Limited Supply: wheelchairs, beds, standers, gait trainers, cushions, lifts
Please feel free to share this invitation with your colleagues, your community, and on your social media platforms. Let’s help our clients get the equipment they need to function safely in the community! We are allowing both providers and clients to pick up the equipment at this time.
Mano a Mano is planning to host recurring events through July 2021, to better understand the volume of need in the Twin Cities and surrounding areas. If you are interested in volunteering with Mano a Mano as part of this outreach, please contact us (Carmen can help direct you)!
Distributing Mobility Equipment in the Twin Cities
On Saturday, February 1, 2020 Mano a Mano donated 162 pieces of mobility equipment and medical supplies to people in need in the Twin Cities. The items ranged from glucometers and blood pressure cuffs to canes, shower chairs, and commodes. The estimated total value of these supplies is $16,000. This project was a collaboration with Twin Cities-area physical therapists to help distribute mobility equipment to some of their clients that have difficulty acquiring needed items (as is the upcoming event).
Ray (in the background) as a happy recipient tries out his stroller. On February 1, 2020, Mano a Mano donated 162 pieces of mobility equipment and medical supplies to people in need in the Twin Cities.
Reducing Waste in Minnesota, Improving Lives in Bolivia and Beyond
The vast majority of the donated supplies and equipment we receive (90%+) is shipped to Bolivia; we sent 7 containers with 175,777 pounds of supplies and equipment from Minnesota to Bolivia in 2020.
The 3 containers we loaded with over 75,000 pounds of medical supplies left our St. Paul warehouse last week (top pictures). This was our first shipment of 2021. And our previous container, shipped in December 2020, recently arrived at our Cochabamba warehouse (bottom pictures).
But we are happy to partner with other organizations when we have excess supplies, items that we cannot send to Bolivia, or items that are not the highest priority for our programs. Ultimately, we want to keep these supplies out of the landfill in Minnesota, and get them to people in need. In 2020, we helped provide supplies locally in the Twin Cities and to organizations working in other countries, including Honduras, El Salvador, and Cameroon. Thanks to the many people in Minnesota and Bolivia that work so hard to make these shipments possible!
Honduras
Mano a Mano rents some of our warehouse space to David O’Brien and Interfaith Service in Latin America (ISLA). ISLA’s mission is to “help improve the quality of life for the communities in which we serve.” Mano a Mano has helped provide supplies for 2 different shipments this year. In January 2020, Mano a Mano loaded 30 gaylords of mobility equipment at our St. Paul warehouse to take to MSP airport, where they began their journey to Honduras. In June, the Minnesota National Guard loaded medical supplies & equipment destined for Honduras at the MSP airport. These supplies started at Mano a Mano’s warehouse in St. Paul in May.
Minnesota National Guard Loads Supplies For Honduras. Video from KSTP.
Cameroon
On December 18th, 2020, Mano a Mano helped provide supplies for the Celeste Association for Destitute Children and Adults (CENADECA) in Cameroon. This included: 18 Wheelchairs, 70 Walkers w/out Seats, 24 Walkers w/ Seats, 100 Pairs of Crutches, 40 Canes, 14 Bath/Shower Chairs, 4 Commodes, 1 Baby Scale, 1 Child/Adult Scale, 1 Box Hospital Linens, 2 Large Boxes (gaylords) of Orthopedic/Rehab Supplies, and a large Blue Barrel Containing Medical Supplies.
Large blue barrel, ready to be filled with medical supplies.
From our Volunteer Warehouse Manager Ray on the donation to Cameroon:
“One last unplanned shipment….
Last Spring as I was selling some sit/stand work desks at Mano a Mano, we had a local woman originally from Cameroon come in to purchase one. Because she was curious about what Mano a Mano was about, I gave her a tour of the warehouse. She was quite amazed that such a place existed that collected unused medical supplies and equipment. It seemed she had been looking for quite some time for such a place, and a way to help back in Cameroon. We were an answer to a prayer in her words…Well, one thing led to another and within a few weeks I was helping to fill a 55 gallon blue plastic drum with medical supplies. I had gotten a wish list from a small medical clinic in Cameroon that Brunhilda wanted to help. Well, that blue barrel was filled, picked up by Brunhilda, and then it waited to be shipped. Things sometimes have their own time to happen, unlike my need often to see things happen quickly.
About a week ago I got a call from Brunhilda’s partner Kilian that he had ordered a 40-ft container to ship some things to Cameroon, including the blue barrel. He reminded me that I had shared the possibility that Mano a Mano might be able offer more if he and Brunhilda had a way to ship it. Last Friday we were able to share 10 additional pallets of mobility equipment, orthopedic equipment, bath aids, and a couple other things that wouldn’t ever fit in a blue 55 gallon barrel. Thanks to the faith of one caring woman – wanting to give back – the CENATDECA organization in Cameroon will receive over 3,500 pounds of excess medical supplies and equipment in the coming months.
It is good to know in this holiday season that sometimes we can be the answer to a prayer…”
Supplies for Cameroon at the Mano a Mano warehouse, December 2020.
El Salvador
On November 5th, 2020, Mano a Mano volunteers loaded one 40-foot container with thousands of pounds of mobility equipment, orthopedic supplies, and other items. These supplies were shipped to El Salvador and distributed by Comité Salvadoreño El Piche to people in need.
Mano a Mano Projects in 2020: Working Around the Pandemic
2020 was a very difficult year, but despite the challenges Mano a Mano continued with our mission of creating partnerships with impoverished Bolivian communities to improve health and increase economic well-being. Learn more about each of our major programs and its work last year at the links below; read our full 2020 Annual Report here.
- Providing Access to Health and Education in Bolivia in 2020
- Flying in Bolivia During COVID: Mano a Mano’s Aviation Program in 2020
- Mano a Mano 2020 Water Projects: Working Around the Pandemic
- 2020 Summary of Medical Distributions in Bolivia
- Building Roads and Runways, Training Heavy Equipment Operators, and Dredging Rivers: Community-Based Economic Development Projects Completed in 2020
- Hydroponic Lettuce, Fodder, and Livestock at the CEA: Agricultural Experiments in 2020
How can a person get a shower chair ?
Please email [email protected]