Over the past week, Direct Relief has delivered 498 shipments of requested medical aid to 44 U.S. states and territories and 13 countries worldwide. The shipments contained 7.5 million defined daily doses of medication.

Medications and supplies shipped this week included therapies for rare disease management, prenatal vitamins, surgical supplies, diabetes management medications, personal protective equipment, and more.

Direct Relief Welcomes CEO Amy Weaver

This week, Amy Weaver officially began as Chief Executive Officer of Direct Relief, bringing a record of executive leadership and a deep humanitarian commitment to the organization as it scales its operations to aid people affected by poverty, disaster, and conflict worldwide.

Weaver joins Direct Relief from Salesforce, where she served since 2020 as President and Chief Financial Officer. Over her nearly 12-year tenure at the Fortune 500 company, she also led the global legal and corporate affairs team as Chief Legal Officer and oversaw a wide range of functions, including Global Communications, Real Estate and Workplace Services, Corporate Development, Accessibility, Government Affairs, Audit, and Ethics & Compliance. She has also served on the boards of Habitat for Humanity International and McDonald’s and previously held executive and legal positions at Univar Solutions and Expedia Group.

Weaver succeeds Thomas Tighe, who served as CEO of Direct Relief for 24 years and led the organization’s expansion into the fifth-largest charity in the United States and one of the largest providers of charitable medications globally.

Weaver’s appointment also comes just days after Direct Relief was named the 2025 Seoul Peace Prize laureate—a global honor recognizing individuals and organizations that advance peace and human welfare.

Read more.

Direct Relief Strengthens Response in the Pacific

The Pacific Community, or SPC, and Direct Relief signed a memorandum of understanding that will facilitate collaboration and coordination in strengthening health systems and emergency preparedness by improving disaster management, information sharing, and capacity building.

The MOU was signed during the Pacific Heads of Health Meeting last month and aims to boost the support provided to Pacific Island countries and territories, or PICTs, during disaster-related emergencies. SPC includes Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia.

Direct Relief has worked in the Pacific to support ongoing health efforts and emergency responses to Cyclone Pam in Vanuatu in 2015, Cyclone Winston in Fiji in 2016, the volcanic eruption in Vanuatu in 2017, it supported medical teams during the 2019 measles outbreak in Samoa, it supported partners across the region during the Covid pandemic between 2020-2022, and most recently offered emergency support to Vanuatu after the 2024 earthquake in Port Vila.

Read more.

Field Medic Packs Strengthen Preparedness in Turkey

Direct Relief-donated Field Medic Packs to equip first responders with medical essentials for triage care arrived in Turkey this week.

Direct Relief partner organization, Needs Map, delivered the backpacks to AFAD, Turkey’s national disaster response agency. Needs Map met with AFAD officials in Adana and Cankkale as part of emergency preparedness for the country’s summer season, which brings heat and potential wildfires. The country is also earthquake-prone, with a 6.2-magnitude earthquake rattling Istanbul last month.

Direct Relief responded to the devastating 2023 earthquakes in Southern Turkey and Northern Syria, mobilizing more than $200 million in medical aid, dispatching over 800 tons of supplies, and more than $10 million in financial assistance to frontline healthcare providers.

Operational Snapshot

UNITED STATES

Direct Relief delivered 478 shipments containing 2 million doses of medication during the past month to organizations, including the following:

Around the World

Globally, Direct Relief shipped over 5.6 million defined daily doses of medication, totaling 63,457 lbs., to countries including the following:

YEAR-TO-DATE

Since January 1, 2025, Direct Relief has delivered 10.3K shipments to 1,867 partner organizations in 54 U.S. states and territories and 78 countries. These shipments included 100.2 million defined daily doses of medication, valued at $899.1 million wholesale, totaling 1.7 million lbs.

In the News

Amy Weaver Officially Steps into CEO Role at Direct Relief – Pacific Coast Business Times

Grammy Awards Donations Distributed to Those Affected by Wildfires – Pasadena Now

Amid Conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Group Finds a Way to Provide Care, Keep Insulin Flowing – Angels in Medicine

Grammy Viewers Donated Nearly $10 Million to L.A. Wildfire Relief Efforts: Here’s Where It Went – Billboard

Direct Relief Accepts 2025 Seoul Peace Prize for Global Humanitarian Impact – AccessNewswire