Volunteers with the Red Cross have been busy in recent weeks helping dozens of families across the state knocked out of their homes due to fires. The agency relies heavily on donations to provide those families with temporary housing and money for clothes and food.
Kara Kelly is a spokesperson for the Greater Iowa American Red Cross. “The reason the Red Cross is able to respond to disasters as frequently as we do, and mostly it’s home fires, is because of donations from the American people,” Kelly said. “In order to keep going, we’ll need donations to Red Cross Disaster Relief and the best way to do so is to go to RedCross.org or to call 1-800-RED-CROSS.”
‘Tis the season for year-end giving and Kelly is hoping Iowans will consider a tax deductible donation to the Red Cross. “Certainly, we are very busy around the holiday season and the winter months, so making sure we have the resources we need in order to respond is incredibly important,” Kelly said.
Red Cross volunteers from Iowa are also sent to help victims of disasters around the country and world. In August, for example, Pat Burch of Norwalk — a retired nurse — traveled to Saipan in the aftermath of a typhoon. In September, four Red Cross volunteers from Iowa were in California to help those affected by a series of wildfires.