#Help1Family on Red Cross Giving Day; Nearly 33,000 People Touched by Home Fires So Far This Year

On March 27, support a family with warm meals or blankets--no donation too small

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Mar 26, 2019, 08:13 ET

WASHINGTON, March 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Following a year of record disasters, the American Red Cross asks everyone to #help1family on Red Cross Giving Day—tomorrow, March 27.

"Every eight minutes, the Red Cross uses generous donations to help someone affected by a home fire or other disaster," said Gail McGovern, president and CEO, American Red Cross. "On Red Cross Giving Day—March 27—you can unite with thousands of people to provide urgent relief during those first devastating hours after a crisis by donating at redcross.org/givingday."

Every 8 minutes, the American Red Cross meets a family devastated by disaster. This March, you can make an impact and #help1family in those first hours, providing food, supplies, shelter, and hope. Join us on March 27th for American Red Cross Giving Day to help 25,000 families in urgent need.

EVERY 8 MINUTES, DONATIONS HELP FAMILIES Last year, Red Cross disaster workers—90 percent of whom were volunteers—helped millions of people during a second consecutive year of record wildfires, hurricanes, tragic shootings and other large crises—all while responding day and night to home fires in communities across the country.

In fact, home fires are the nation's most frequent disaster—often devastating homes, livelihoods and cherished possessions. Just in January and February of this year, Red Cross volunteers across the country responded to almost 11,000 home fires, assisting nearly 33,000 people affected by these fires.

Each day, donations to the Red Cross help people like Karen Smith, a mother from Georgia. After losing their home to an electrical fire, Smith and her family were in desperate need of support. In the hours immediately after the fire, Red Cross volunteers jumped into action and helped the Smith family with emergency essentials like lodging and clothes, and assisted them with community resources to help them get back on their feet.

"They helped us and made me realize there was hope at the end of the rope. They made us realize that everything was going to be ok," Smith said about the Red Cross volunteers who helped her and her family during their darkest days.

#HELP1FAMILY ON MARCH 27 You can provide hope to people like Karen Smith by donating on Red Cross Giving Day, a 24-hour fundraising campaign. Our goal is to help 25,000 families affected by home fires or other disasters, and we need your support. Visit redcross.org/givingday to provide urgent relief, like food, shelter and other essentials for families who need it most. You can also give by texting REDCROSS to 90999 to give $10, or by saying 'Alexa, make a donation to Red Cross Giving Day' on your Alexa-enabled device.

Support a family in urgent need for one day: A gift of $88.50 can provide a family of three with a day's worth of food, including breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus blankets and other essentials in the aftermath of a disaster.
Supply warm meals: A donation of $60 can help provide six people with a nourishing meal that includes a main course, snacks and a drink to those impacted by disasters.
Deliver cozy blankets: A gift of $30 can ensure that children and families stay warm and can get a good night's sleep with six comforting blankets.

MARCH IS RED CROSS MONTH The Red Cross is grateful for generous support to help people in need on Giving Day and throughout the year. During March, we honor the volunteer heroes who fuel our lifesaving work every day—a tradition dating back more than 75 years, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt first proclaimed March as Red Cross Month to raise awareness for our humanitarian mission.

You can be a hero for families in need too by becoming a volunteer, donating blood or learning lifesaving skills like first aid or CPR. Please visit redcross.org to learn more.

About our Giving Day Supporters:
The American Red Cross is grateful for those donors that are making an impact to #help1family by supporting our Giving Day. They include: the Energy Transfer/Sunoco Foundation and OnStar. Thanks to the kindness of these and other supporters, the Red Cross is able to provide hope and urgent relief to people when they need it most.

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