How FedEx's Damaged Shipments Are Supporting Local Nonprofits

What happens to all the items that are damaged in shipping and returned to FedEx? A lot of them end up at nonprofits like this one, Mid-Del group homes.

“We take care of people with intellectual disabilities here at Mid-Del Group Home,” said Joel Bain Executive Director of Mid-Del Group Home.

The nonprofit provides housing and employment opportunities through community contracts. The latest is with FedEx. “We partnered with them, and we get all of their damaged items and returned items,” said Bain.

Pallets upon pallets of products donated to the nonprofit, under one condition.

“We don’t get an option to take certain items or leave certain items, we have to take everything that they have in their warehouse,” said Bain.

Everything from paint to paper products, cleaning, and medical supplies. “I partnered with a funeral home a few months ago, we got twenty-five bottles of embalming fluid,” said Bain.

Every two weeks is a new adventure. “It is like Christmas when you open boxes and see what you have,” said Bain.

Because they get way more than they can use why not share? “We partnered with our nine other nonprofits, and they come in here and shop also,” said Bain.

Nonprofits like Autumn House is a senior living community in Midwest City. With one hundred and seventy-five apartments for seniors cleaning supplies and items for crafts have been great.

“Probably the thing that I was most excited about was we got a lot of ice melt, which is very expensive,” said Executive Director of Autumn House, Shari Lopp.

“A lot of the women in our program are single mothers and they have come out of crisis,” said Brittany Hussain, Executive Director of Leah’s Hope.

Leah’s Hope serves women in crisis who are homeless or facing homelessness “One of the most valuable things that we get from the corner store is paper products. Paper towels, toilette paper, things that their benefits can’t buy,” said Hussain.

All items are graciously given at no charge. “As a nonprofit, you feel like you always take and you never have the opportunity to give back to the community,” said Bain.

Even with sharing with the other nonprofits there are still some items that are stacking up, they are available to any nonprofit, free of charge.