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FOW-USA
4018 Bishop Lane
Louisville, KY 40218
info@fowusa.org
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Where should I send my surplus ostomy supplies or a financial donation?
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Please send supplies - with the shipping pre-paid - or monetary contributions to our warehouse:
4018 Bishop Lane
Louisville, KY 40218
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We accept new, clean, unused pouches, flanges, skin barriers, skin wipes,
paste, tape, belts, pouch covers, scissors, and pediatric products. We
prefer items in the original boxes when possible. Please contact us if you
have other products to donate.
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We cannot ship out-of-date products. Please check
expiration dates. If it has expired, discard it.
We cannot accept products within 6 months of the expiration
date because they will have reached the expiration date by the
time they arrive in another country and customs laws
preclude our shipping such products.
In addition, please do not send used or unclean
products. When in doubt about a product, ask yourself, "Would I be happy to receive this and use it on myself?"
We cannot use any liquid supplies or prescription medications.
We cannot ship aerosols due to security issues.
Also, we do not accept C.O.D. shipments to our warehouse.
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Please put your name and address on the return
label as well as in the shipping box. When
your donation arrives at the warehouse,
the return address label is cut from the
carton and the carton is opened to see
if there is a note inside. A "thank you" letter is sent to each donor provided
there is a valid return address or an address provided in the carton.
As we are a registered 501(c)(3) corporation with the
Internal Revenue Service, your donations may be
deductible on your Federal income tax.
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After we remove your address label,
the shipping carton is unpacked and
the contents are sorted with other
similar products. Our volunteers then
repackage them into cartons supplied by Hollister, Inc.,
according to the needs of the country.
For instance, some countries have urostomy or
pediatric patients, while others do not.
(When a request is received we ask the requestors
to list the types and sizes of supplies they will use.)
The cartons are labeled, weighed, and loaded onto skids.
Each skid is shrink-wrapped for protection.
A skid weighs about 500 pounds.
One or more skids may be shipped to a
specific destination.
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We ask that contacts from countries fill out a
questionnaire detailing the types of supplies
they need, the number of ostomates served,
the shipping information, and how supplies
will be picked up and delivered. Donations are shipped,
pre-paid, to hospitals, clinics, and ostomy associations.
We must have a lead contact person at the
receiving location who has internet access.
This person is responsible for following the
shipment from the arrival area in their country
to the ultimate storage facility they manage.
They must agree to follow a set of rules for
distribution (see Requests for Help)
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We collect and depend on financial contributions and grants.
The money we receive is used to pay for the warehouse lease
and particularly for our expenses in packing and
shipping ostomy supplies to the countries served.
We are only able to send supplies because of the
generous donations we continually receive from
those with surplus ostomy equipment. Not only do
individuals and groups donate supplies, but they
also pack them and pay the shipping to our warehouse.
We are grateful to these individuals, retailers,
suppliers, and manufacturers who keep us in mind
whenever they have surplus ostomy supplies. Plus,
we could not operate without the time and talent of
those who volunteer at the warehouse or serve on the
Board of Directors. All of our money goes toward our
mission of helping needy ostomates overseas.
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FOW-USA is the volunteer, non-profit organization
in the United States that supports needy ostomates
overseas as well as providing relevant educational materials.
Project SHARE specifically refers to our primary effort of
donating ostomy supplies.
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Yes! We send ostomy information for patients and educational
material for doctors and nurses. We also fund memberships
in the World Council for Enterostomal Therapists
for people who care for ostomates in developing countries.
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The care and dedication of those who volunteer and
contribute - giving financially,
sending supplies, and offering
their time and talents. Please
help us help those in desperate
need of ostomy supplies and support.
© Copyright 2006 FOW-USA
Federal Tax ID 34-1705116
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