Providing the needed medicines and other critically needed supplies are the two main missions of the non-profit organization based in Goleta, California. Named Direct Relief International, the group is on the move of improving the quality of life by distributing these supplies to health care providers worldwide.

Based on private support, the institution is considered as the largest international non-profit group in California by Chronicle of Philanthropy. This organization is also one of the two charities that have received a perfect score for fundraising efficiency for five straight years. The citation was given by Forbes.

In October of 2000, Thomas Tighe joined Direct Relief International as its president and CEO. Together with 34 Board of Directors and their 11 International Advisory Board, they continue on delivering their mission as a tax-exempt charity. After its founding in 1948, this charitable group has already reached out to 140 countries including the United States.

The group though founded in 1948 traces its roots to the charitable works of William Zimdin in 1945. He was an Estonian immigrant who had his hands on significant wealth in pre-war Europe. To help out those who are rebuilding their lives after World War II, he started sending out care parcels containing food, clothing and medicines. It was in 1948 that the William Zimdin Foundation was established.

It was his close business associate Dezso Karczag, a Hungarian immigrant, who continued his works after his death in 1951. It was in the year 1957 that the name got changed from William Zimdin foundation to its current name, Direct Relief International.

The organization now works with 300 partner clinics, hospitals and other associations across the globe. They have been involved in various relief programs including in major catastrophes like the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, the Kashmir Earthquake in 2005, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the Peru earthquake, the California wildfires and the crisis in Kenya.