Thank You HERO Fargo for the Community Partner Award!

Thank You HERO Fargo for the Community Partner Award!

On Friday night, at their 14th annual HERO Bash, HERO Fargo (HERO stands for Healthcare Equipment Recycling Organization) recognized Mano a Mano as its Community Partner of the Year! We are very grateful to be honored by HERO, which has been a great partnership for years.

Exchanging Donated Medical Supplies to Meet Each Organization’s Needs

Both Mano a Mano and HERO collect donated medical supplies and equipment; we both redistribute those supplies to people in need. Mano a Mano focuses on people and organizations in need in rural Bolivia, and HERO focuses on people in need in the Fargo-Moorhead area.

Both organizations receive at least 150,000 pounds of donated items each year, and inevitably some of those items are not the best fit. For a number of years, HERO has driven from Fargo to St. Paul every month or two to exchange supplies that are higher priority items for the other organization.

HERO’s Executive Director Stephen Roise mentioned a specific example during his speech on Friday night:

HERO had a waiting list of up to 300 people for shower chairs; thanks to Mano a Mano they have been able to provide them to everyone on their waiting list. Without Mano a Mano, Roise said that they would still have a sizable waiting list.

Creating Partnerships

Mano a Mano’s mission is to create partnerships with impoverished Bolivian communities that improve health and increase economic well-being. But the need for partnership extends well beyond Mano a Mano and the communities of Bolivia; working with other nonprofit organizations like HERO is extremely beneficial to help further our mission, as well as support communities in the Upper Midwest, and we are very grateful to HERO for the recognition on Friday!