Corporations and Organizations Help American Red Cross Prepare for and Respond to Disasters Large and Small

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Oct 18, 2017, 10:37 ET

WASHINGTON, Oct. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following an unrelenting wave of disasters devastating millions across the U.S. over the past seven weeks, the American Red Cross recognizes the generosity of corporate and organizational members of our Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) and Disaster Responder Program, whose contributions ensure the Red Cross is prepared to meet the needs of those affected by disasters large and small.

ADGP and Disaster Responder members pledge financial and in-kind donations in advance of disasters, powering the Red Cross with strong infrastructure, trained volunteers and critical resources necessary to provide relief and support to those in crisis. These annual contributions allow the Red Cross to respond whenever and wherever disasters occur, help families during the recovery process and prepare people for future emergencies.

"Every day in the face of disasters, from hurricanes and wildfires to home fires, the generosity of ADGP and Disaster Responder members ensures the Red Cross can provide comfort and care to people in their darkest hours," said Gail McGovern, president and CEO at the American Red Cross. "We are extremely grateful for these forward-thinking contributions, which enable us to respond to disasters immediately and compassionately, when help and hope are needed most."

Since August, Red Cross volunteers have sprung into action to respond to a string of crises—from major hurricanes impacting eight states and two U.S. territories to wildfires in the West. For Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, support from ADGP and Disaster Responder members enabled the Red Cross to mobilize ahead of the storms to respond immediately to the needs of hundreds of thousands of people whose lives were upended. To date, we have provided more than 1.3 million overnight shelter stays, served more than 7.1 million meals and snacks and distributed more than 3.5 million relief and cleanup items to help hurricane survivors get back on their feet.

While large disasters like hurricanes and wildfires typically draw national attention, each year the Red Cross responds to nearly 64,000 disasters – the majority of which are home fires. Generous contributions from ADGP and Disaster Responder members not only enable the Red Cross to provide critical services to people impacted by home fires year-round, but ensure families can receive lifesaving tools and information to support prevention efforts through our Home Fire Campaign - a multi-year initiative in which Red Cross volunteers and partners canvass high-risk neighborhoods to install free smoke alarms, replace batteries in existing alarms and help families create escape plans. Since 2014, the campaign and our signature Sound the Alarm installation events have helped make more than 400,000 households safer and is credited with saving 268 lives across the country.

And thanks to ADGP and Disaster Responder members, Red Cross volunteers are also in their local communities every day, conducting disaster preparedness presentations and giving people the reassurance and confidence to face crises of all kinds.

The current members of the Red Cross $1M Annual Disaster Giving Program are: American Airlines; Anheuser-Busch Foundation; Anthem Foundation; Bank of America; Caterpillar Foundation; The Clorox Company; ConocoPhillips; Costco Wholesale; Delta Air Lines; Disney; Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation; FedEx; General Motors Foundation; Grainger; The Home Depot Foundation; LDS Charities; Lowe's Companies, Inc.; Mazda North American Operations; Microsoft Corp.; Nationwide Foundation; New Balance Foundation and New Balance Athletics; PepsiCo Foundation; State Farm; Target; UPS; VSP Global; and Walmart and the Walmart Foundation.

The current members of the Red Cross $500,000 Annual Disaster Giving Program are: Altria Group; American Express; Aon; Boise Paper; Capital One; Cisco Foundation; Citi Foundation; Darden Restaurants, Inc. Foundation; Discover; Edison International; Energy Transfer/Sunoco Foundation; Farmers Insurance; Ford Motor Company; Humble Bundle; International Paper; John Deere Foundation; Johnson Controls; LabCorp; McDonald's Corporation; Medtronic Foundation; Meijer; Merck Foundation; Mondelēz International Foundation; Procter & Gamble Company; Reynolds American Foundation; Ryder; Southwest Airlines; Tata Consultancy Services; TD Ameritrade; The TJX Companies, Inc.; United Airlines; The Wawa Foundation and Wells Fargo.

The current members of the Red Cross $250,000 Disaster Responder Program are: Adobe; AdvoCare International L.P.; Alcoa; Alliance Data; Astellas USA Foundation; AT&T; AvalonBay Communities, Inc.; AXA; The Ball Foundation; BMW of North America; BNY Mellon; CarMax; Cox Automotive; Duke Energy; Entergy Corporation; Harbor Freight Tools Foundation; Hewlett Packard Enterprise Foundation; HP Foundation; IBM Corporation; IHG Foundation; Ingersoll Rand Foundation; The J.M. Smucker Company; Land O'Lakes, Inc.; Mastercard; Morgan Stanley; Neiman Marcus Group; Northrop Grumman Corporation; Northwestern Mutual and the Northwestern Mutual Foundation; Prudential Foundation; SC Johnson; SERVPRO; Southeastern Grocers Home of BI-LO Harveys Winn Dixie; Standard Textile; Toyota; U-Haul International; United Technologies Corporation; The USAA Foundation; U.S. Bank; and Visa.

About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.

SOURCE American Red Cross