Local Red Cross Aids in California Relief Efforts
As wildfires continue to rage throughout southern California, destroying hundreds of homes and displacing hundreds of thousands of residents, the Red Cross is continuing to work with officials to support the relief effort.
The Union County Chapter is assisting in these efforts by sending three volunteers to California. “Marilyn” and “Jess” are already in San Diego helping in Individual Client Services, where they are working as Client Case Workers providing one-on-one assistance to families. They help those affected by the fires get emergency assistance such as food, water, clothing, or finances, and when necessary give them referrals to other agencies that will continue helping them get back on their feet.
“Linda”, another Union County Volunteer, is going to San Bernardino on October 26 to work in Mass Care. She will be a Bulk Distribution Supervisor, where she will help gather and distribute food, water, and other necessary materials to firefighters and emergency workers in the affected areas as they work to battle the blazes and safeguard residents, and the disaster victims.
Here is a snapshot of Red Cross services as of midnight, Tuesday, October 23:
• The Red Cross and its partners have opened dozens of shelters across the region.
• 40 trucks full of supplies have arrived, bringing thousands of cots, blankets, toiletry kits and other needed items.
• 50 Mobile feeding vehicles have arrived with 25 more en route.
• Cleanup supplies are also en route. Supplies include rakes, shovels, and other useful equipment to help with cleanup in the affected communities.
• A large feeding kitchen will open at Petco Field to support the shelters, mobile feeding and the feeding to the emergency workers.
• Nearly 2000 Red Cross volunteers/workers have been deployed across the county to help.
All American Red Cross disaster assistance is free, made possible by voluntary donations of time and money from the American people. You can help the victims of thousands of disasters across the country each year, disasters like the California wildfires, by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, which enables the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to victims of disaster. The American Red Cross honors donor intent. If you wish to designate your donation to a specific disaster please do so at the time of your donation. Call 1-800-REDCROSS or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Contributions to the Disaster Relief Fund may be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013. Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting www.redcross.org.
You may also donate to the Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund by utilizing the Text 2HELP™ program established by the partnership of The Wireless Foundation and the American Red Cross. Subscribers of AT&T Mobility, Alltel, Boost Mobile, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, and SunCom can donate $5 to relief efforts simply by text messaging keyword “GIVE” to “2HELP” (24357). The donations will appear on customers’ monthly bills or be debited from prepaid account balances.
Text 2HELP™ has been activated, and contributions to the Disaster Relief Fund will be accepted for the next 60 days. Money from the fund is used to support American Red Cross relief efforts throughout the country, as well as in California.
For more ways you can help the relief efforts or for information on the American Red Cross of Union County, please contact the chapter at 704-283-7402 for Union County or 704-694-3514 for Anson County, or log-on to www.unioncountyredcross.org.
