Volunteers boost non-profit’s impact

‘Wednesday Crew’ big part of organization that finds better use for discarded medical supplies

By Jim Palmer

One of the important volunteers in HERO’s  Wednesday Crew for many years has been Georgia Dufault, who served as Operations Director at HERO. She is pictured left during one of her trip to Haiti. The trip helped her understand what the medical supplies the country could use the most, and what they don’t need. Contributed photo 

In 1996, a group of operating room nurses from Sanford Medical Center came together to discuss a solution to the problem they had been witnessing. They were watching providers who were being forced to discard open packages of medical supplies because  of the U.S. regulations that supplies could not be re-shelved once they had been pulled from the supply room. The nurses felt like this was a big waste. They felt like these discarded medical supplies could help a lot of people instead of ending up in a landfill.

The nurses researched a method to safely recycle health care supplies. They presented their project to Fargo-Moorhead area healthcare facilities. The providers found the alternative of recycling very attractive. Now they could reduce costly medical waste expenses and help others at the same time.

HERO was born in 1997 from that cooperative project and the number of agencies, health care facilities, and individuals joining the effort to recycle medical supplies continued to multiply year after year. After starting the program in a small warehouse space in Moorhead, the program is now located in a much large commercial building in Fargo. It became a non-profit organization in 2000.

As the organization has grown, more help has been needed to make it work properly and efficiently. The “heroes” in HERO are its volunteers. 

“When we get pallets from a hospital, our volunteers sort through them,” said Stephanie Ressler, Development Coordinator at HERO. “There are all sorts of supplies on these pallets, including medical gowns, masks, equipment and a lot of random things. I can’t stress enough how important our volunteers are. We treasure them and when they are not there, it shows.”

There are about 25 core volunteers who come at least one day a week to help for a couple of hours.  Others, including corporation groups, volunteer once or twice a year. And college students also stop by to lend a hand. 

The “Wednesday Crew” volunteers at HERO has provided reliability and efficiency every Wednesday, which has helped the non-profit grow, so it is able to help more people. The current Wednesday Crew at HERO includes Vikki Doeden, Cindy Splichal, Corinn Gromatka, Cathy Lo, Ginny Hynek, Sara Larson and Jan Carlsen. Not Pictured: Linda Lamb and Deanna Micheli. This photo was taken at their retail shop. Contributed photo

Most of the volunteers have some connection to the medical field, said Ressler, but it is not a requirement.

Within that core of volunteers is “The Wednesday Crew,” a group of 10 ladies who have faithfully come together every Wednesday for years to sort, visit and keep the organization strong.

“It’s just a good group of ladies that we can count on every week,” said Ressler.

Like some of the other long-time regulars, Georgia Dufault, Operations Director at HERO, has learned and become an expert at sorting the medical supplies so they go to those who need them most. Georgia retired at the end of 2024, but said, “HERO will always be part of my life.”

Georgia got a first-hand look at the humanitarian side of the organization through multiple trips to Haiti. Her first trip took place her second year working at HERO. The trip was eye-opening and educational for Georgia, and this memorable trip helped her when she returned to HERO.

“The volunteers all go through the pallets and decide what we should send to our retail area, and what should go to humanitarian efforts in Ukraine or Haiti,” said Georgia. “The trips to Haiti really helped us better serve HERO because we really gained an understanding of what we should send and what we shouldn’t.”

HERO is not the only organization that saves and reuses medical supply. In fact, there are several similar organizations around the country that save the supplies for humanitarian efforts. One of the unique aspects of HERO is the retail part of it, making discounted medical equipment available to people who live in the Fargo-Moorhead area.

Linda Lamb and Ginny Hynek, both of Fargo, have volunteered at HERO as part of the Wednesday Crew for years.  Linda joined the crew about 13 years ago after reading an article in the Fargo paper on HERO. Ginny first started volunteering nine years ago after a friend invited her one day. 

“My late husband was a physician who had volunteered on several medical missions to other countries,” said Lamb. “I believe HERO’s mission was the perfect non-profit to support.”

Wednesday Crew volunteers Ginny Hynek and Cindy Splichal stand behind a mountain of medical supplies that will be sorted and distributed to both the HERO retail shop and humanitarian needs in Haiti and Ukraine.  Contributed photo

When Lamb started volunteering, HERO was operating out of a small warehouse in Moorhead.

“It was a cold, small building with non-retail space and barely any office space for a director or board conference room,” she said. “There were many financial worries in those early days about keeping the doors open or being able to afford the heating bills.”

Lamb joined a small crew of loyal volunteers every Wednesday that was determined to make it work. They took it one pallet of medical supplies at a time, and the organization stabilized and grew into its current building through a lot of hard work.

“It has been and continues to be  a satisfying experience to see how much HERO has evolved, the important impact it has given to the countless people who now have affordable access to the medical equipment or supplies they need. Also, the environmental advantages of recycling durable healthcare supplies. Hopefully HERO’s mission will continue to grow and expand the message and reach to those in need around the community and world.”

Hynek said she was “hooked” after the first day of volunteering.

“The crew and I who come on Wednesdays are sorters,” said Hynek. “I spend about two hours with several other gals who have become dear friends sorting medical supplies that have been sent from area hospitals and personal donations. Every week it can range from one to four pallets of supplies. The medical supplies range from a simple band aid to anything involved in medical care.”

Hynek said she loves being a part of HERO. 

The Wednesday Crew in action, sorting through a pallet of supplies. Contributed photo 

“HERO is very dear to my heart,” she said. “I can’t begin to imagine all the useful supplies that are saved from going to the landfill and being used by people at home and overseas. What an amazing place!”

Those interested in learning more about HERO (either about their products or on volunteering) should visit herofargo.org or call Ressler at 701-318-0391.

Since 2003, HERO has saved more than two million pounds of medical supplies from landfills, and served more than 50,000 individuals, waiving the fees of over $1 million worth of supplies. In addition, they have served more than 750 global missions. 

The HERO retail shop is located at 5012 53rd Street South, Suite C, in Fargo.