Direct Relief Announces Year-End Results

Direct Relief International
Monday, 1 January 2001

The year 2000 marked a major turning point in the 53-year history of Direct Relief International, Santa Barbara's own global humanitarian aid organization. The agency sent a record-setting $67.1 million in medical relief shipments to 53 countries worldwide, topping its previous high of $52.8 million in 1999 by more than $14 million. Some 10 million people were directly helped by these aid shipments, including victims of the earthquakes in Turkey, civil unrest in Sierra Leone, Zambia and Eritrea, and deadly floods in Mozambique and Cambodia.

The locally-based agency received statewide and national recognition for its achievements in the millennium year:

- Direct Relief was honored by the state Waste Management Board as one of the top 10 businesses or organizations in California for its recycling efforts.

- The industry journal Chronicle of Philanthropy cited Direct Relief as one of the 20 largest non-academic charitable institutions on the West Coast.

- Forbes magazine named Direct Relief one of the 10 best nonprofit organizations in the United States with regard to fundraising efficiency

"We are proud of what we've accomplished in the past year," said Direct Relief President and CEO Thomas Tighe, "and we look forward to further expanding the scope of our mission in 2001."

Donations or requests for more information can be sent to Direct Relief International at 27 South La Patera Lane, Santa Barbara, CA 93117, or phone 964-4767.

For more information, or to contact Direct Relief International, see their website at: www.directrelief.org