In a year when disasters upended the lives of thousands of people, the American Red Cross is asking everyone to ‘Give Something that Means Something’ for families in need through its 2018 Holiday Giving Campaign.
“Every day, home fires and other everyday crises turn people’s lives upside down,” said Rachel Word, CEO for the Mississippi Region American Red Cross. “Families are counting on your support to remember them during this special time of year. On Giving Tuesday, please consider making a financial donation or a blood donation, or volunteering your time.”
Beginning on ‘Giving Tuesday’, November 27th, they ask that you ‘#GiveWithMeaning’ at redcross.org/gift to support people in need with a symbolic gift, which you can make in honor of the special people in your life:
- Help disaster victims. Your gift of $250 can deliver hot meals for 25 people who need nourishment after a disaster. A donation of $100 can provide a family of two with a full day’s worth of emergency shelter with meals, snacks, blankets, a cot and hygiene supplies. Help provide warmth with a gift of $50, which can provide blankets for 10 people.
- Help our veterans. A donation of $125 can help veterans transition back to civilian life by connecting them and their families to critical services such as food, housing, counseling and rehabilitation.
- Help internationally. Your gift of $100 can help provide lifesaving vaccinations for 100 children who face an increased risk of measles and rubella around the world.
In addition, you can also:
- Give the gift of life. Visit redcrossblood.org to make an appointment to donate blood or platelets.
- Volunteer to help others. To learn more about becoming a Red Cross volunteer, visit redcross.org.
Every 8 minutes, someone affected by disaster is helped by donations to the Red Cross. Red Cross donors help provide people with necessities like shelter, food, relief supplies, emotional support, recovery planning and other assistance.
In Mississippi, the Red Cross responded to 1,952 disasters. Home fires, the nation’s most frequent disaster, account for the vast majority of our responses.
In addition to helping families recover from these events, they also help save lives by installing free smoke alarms and helping residents create escape plans through their ‘Home Fire Campaign’, which has reached more than 99,000 people in Mississippi since it began in 2014.
In 2018, the Red Cross in Mississippi also:
- Provided roughly 22,760 services to military members, veterans and families.
- Enrolled about 18,000 people in lifesaving courses like first aid, CPR and AED.
