Corporations, Foundations and Charitable Organizations Help American Red Cross Prepare Communities for Disasters

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Jun 22, 2015, 09:00 ET

WASHINGTON, June 22, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- This week marks the beginning of summer and a busy disaster season for the American Red Cross with a range of emergencies threatening different parts of the country – from flooding and storms, to severe heat. Thanks to the help of more than 97 leading corporations that give through the organization's Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) and Disaster Responder Program, the Red Cross is ready to help people before and after a disaster strikes.

Members of both programs pledge donations in advance of major disasters, which provide the Red Cross with a reliable funding base to immediately respond. Funding from members supports Red Cross disaster relief activities, including sheltering, feeding, purchasing and distributing relief supplies, storing equipment, providing health and emotional support and reconnecting individuals separated during disasters.

"We work hard to ensure that urgent relief is delivered at the scene of devastating disasters, and that our teams have the skills and equipment necessary to effectively assist and guide the disaster response," said Gail McGovern, president and CEO at the American Red Cross. "We are extremely grateful for our ADGP and Disaster Responder members because no matter where the emergency occurs, or how large the disaster is, their contribution ensures that we are immediately on the ground to help people in need."

Red Cross volunteers are in their local communities every day, teaching preparedness and helping people cope with disasters big and small across the nation. ADGP and Disaster Responder members enable the Red Cross to improve community resilience in areas at higher risk for disasters such as hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes, earthquakes and floods and, most commonly, house fires.

The Red Cross encourages Americans to be ready for the next emergency by working on a preparedness plan for their household. Red Cross also offers a suite of apps that provide expert information when and where people need it. They are free and include the following:

EMERGENCY APP The Emergency App is the one-download resource that puts vital information at your fingertips. This "all-inclusive" app combines more than 35 customizable severe weather and emergency alerts from natural to man-made, giving users real-time information to help keep them and their loved ones safe.

FIRST AID APP The First Aid App gives people instant access to the information on how to handle the most common first aid emergencies. With videos, interactive quizzes and simple step-by-step advice, it's never been easier to learn first aid.

MONSTER GUARD: Prepare for Emergencies App The Monster Guard App helps children between the ages of 7 and 11 learn emergency preparedness while playing a game as monster characters. It's a fun, interactive game to learn how to prevent emergencies, such as home fires, and what to do if severe weather or natural disasters occur.

The generous investments from ADGP and Disaster Responder members enable the Red Cross to prepare communities for disasters big and small, respond whenever and wherever disasters occur and help families during the recovery process.

The current members of the Red Cross $1M Annual Disaster Giving Program are: American Airlines; Anthem Foundation; Boise Paper; Caterpillar Foundation; Costco Wholesale; Enterprise Rent-A-Car Foundation; FedEx Corporation; The Home Depot; Humble Bundle; LDS Charities; Lowe's Companies, Inc.; Mazda North American Operations; Merck & Co., Inc.; Nationwide Insurance Foundation; State Farm; Target; UPS; VSP℠ Vision care for life; and Walmart.

The current members of the Red Cross $500k Annual Disaster Giving Program are: 3M; Altria Group; American Express; Anheuser-Busch Foundation; Aon; Bank of America; BNY Mellon; Capital One; Cisco Foundation; Citi Foundation; ConAgra Foods Foundation; Darden Restaurants Foundation; Delta Air Lines; Discover; Disney; Dr Pepper Snapple Group; Edison International; Ford Motor Company; Grainger; John Deere Foundation; Johnson Controls; Kraft Foods Group Foundation; Medtronic; Meijer; Mondelēz International Foundation; National Grid; PepsiCo Foundation; Prudential Foundation; Samsung; San Manuel Band of Mission Indians; Southwest Airlines; Sprint; Sunoco; The TJX Companies, Inc.; United Airlines; United Technologies Corporation; Visa; Wawa; and Wells Fargo.

The current members of the Red Cross Disaster Responder Program are: 1-800-BOARDUP; Alcoa; Astellas USA Foundation; AstraZeneca; AT&T; AvalonBay Communities, Inc.; AXA Foundation; Ball Foundation; BHP Billiton; The Clorox Company; Entergy Corporation; Farmers; General Motors Foundation; H&M; Hewlett-Packard Company Foundation; IBM Corporation; IKEA; Ingersoll Rand Foundation; Interstate All Battery Center; Land O'Lakes, Inc.; Marsh & McLennan Companies; MetLife Foundation; Morgan Stanley; New Balance Foundation; Northrop Grumman Corporation; Northwestern Mutual and the Northwestern Mutual Foundation; Procter & Gamble Company; PSEG Foundation; PuroClean; Residence Inn by Marriott; Ryder; San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E); Southeastern Grocers Home of BI-LO Harvey's Winn Dixie; Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Foundation, Inc.; State Street; Swiss Re Foundation; T O Y O T A; U.S. Bank; and U-Haul International.

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 visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.

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SOURCE American Red Cross