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The History of the International Distribution Center
| The International Distribution Center (IDC) of World Vision was established in April of 1993 in partnership with the Pittsburgh Leadership Foundation. But its beginnings stem back to 1986, when its founder and director, Richard Johnson, then an executive with the Gulf Oil Corporation, developed and executed the donation of Gulf’s research and development facility to the University of Pittsburgh, creating the University of Pittsburgh’s Applied Research Center (UPARC).
Noting that Gulf’s generous donation (valued at more than $125 million) to the University, gave the Corporation significant tax benefits while providing the University critical resources. Johnson then began to evaluate why other companies didn’t donate surplus resources to non-profit organizations that needed them. This investigation fueled a career move to the Pittsburgh Leadership Foundation, a Christian not-for-profit organization that collaborates with various civic, business, and religious entities to meet the spiritual, physical and economic needs of citizens in Southwestern Pennsylvania. |
 In 1987, Johnson and the President of the Pittsburgh Leadership Foundation, Reid Carpenter, met with management from the international relief & development agency, World Vision, discussed the benefits of a possible partnership between the two organizations. This resulted in a joint initiative to develop a business strategy and solicit excess products and services from American corporations in behalf of the "less fortunate" in the United States and around the world. The first product donation, called gift-in-kind (GIK), was received in 1989. That same year, a local businessman generously offered the use of a fabrication mill near Pittsburgh for the processing and shipping of donations. |  |
International Distribution Center Staff |
With the new found space and the first GIK being sent in, World Vision Pittsburgh began implementing volunteer groups to help with the processing of the product. The first group -- several elderly women from an urban church -- sorted and repackaged a donation of clothing before its shipment overseas. This allowed World Vision to customize the donation to the needs of its recipients in the field with much more speed and efficiency. It wasn’t long before the volunteer program exploded. During this first year of volunteering, 1,883 hours of time and energy were given to World Vision. Today just over 47,500 hours have been donated by over 7,500 volunteers at the IDC. Eghty percent of these helping hands have been youth.
In 1989 the Pittsburgh operation responded to its first humanitarian disaster by assisting World Vision’s response to the crisis in Romania which left 40,000 orphaned children. Medicines, clothing, food, personal care items, and many other critical supplies were sent to relieve the suffering of children and families in these areas. Today goods continue to be shipped to that region for long-term development initiatives. |
 Since April of 1993, the IDC of World Vision, a one of a kind facility of the world, has been officially established in a modern 40,000 square foot office and warehousing complex near Pittsburgh. Again, this was achieved in partnership with the Pittsburgh Leadership Foundation. To date, the IDC has shipped more than 7 million pounds of items to the neediest victims of natural and manmade upheaval. This would never have been possible without the help of the volunteers, who have given their time to the distribution center’s work. They have all played an important role in World Vision’s response to disasters in Kosovo, Honduras, Guatemala, Romania, Somalia, Bosnia, Rwanda, and Zaire; and with the LA Earthquakes, Georgia Floods, and Red River Floods; among many other international and domestic crises.
Donating some of your time to the IDC is a really powerful way to get involved with
hands-on mission. If you are interested and would like to find out more, call Laura Fronko,
Volunteer Coordinator for the IDC at (412) 749-1800, ext. 227, or email lfronko@worldvision.org |
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