SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — The boxes of supplies at Direct Relief, a nonprofit medical relief organization based in Santa Barbara, California, tell the story of the disasters happening around the world.
Shipments are stored on pallets with labels noting their destinations: Libya, Bangladesh, Syria. Other boxes headed into more sensitive contexts are unmarked to avoid jeopardizing the safety of the organization and its partners.
Since its founding in 1948, the nonprofit has provided medical aid in response to emergencies and in support of refugee populations. Direct Relief completed its new 155,000-square-foot headquarters in 2018 in order to meet heightened federal requirements for the storage and shipment of prescription medications and the increased demand for humanitarian assistance globally.