As the year comes to a close, Red Cross officials report that 2022 has been a year of crisis for families in the Heart of the Valley Chapter and around the world — from extreme climate disasters to global emergencies like the conflict in Ukraine to the first-ever national American Red Cross blood crisis.
“A crisis could be challenging for a single person or an entire community. It’s an event that turns lives upside down— especially for the most vulnerable,” Felicia Woolfolk, Executive Director for the Red Cross Heart of the Valley Chapter, said. “This holiday season is the perfect time to turn compassion into action. Join us to provide help and hope for people in need by making a financial donation or by giving blood or platelets.”
During the holidays, visit redcross.org to make a financial donation or an appointment to give blood or platelet for patients in the U.S. Individuals can also register for volunteer opportunities in their area.
Responding To Disasters Of All Sizes
This year’s extreme disasters in the U.S. are clear examples of the increasing frequency and intensity of the climate crisis. So far in 2022, 15 billion-dollar disasters have upended lives across the country — more than twice the number of billion-dollar disasters that struck annually two decades ago.
For these and tens of thousands of other disasters in the Heart of the Valley Chapter and across the country, Red Cross volunteers have worked 24/7 to provide shelter, food and care — including providing relief and comfort following 229 home fires and other local disasters within the Heart of the Valley Chapter since January 2022, to help ensure no one faces a crisis of any size alone. Dozens of local volunteers also deployed to help those affected by disasters across the country over the past year, like Hurricanes Ian and Fiona.
Helping Families Affected By Global Emergencies
Internationally, the conflict in Ukraine has forced millions of people to flee for their lives. With such vast needs, the American Red Cross has provided financial donations and international crisis responders to support the global Red Cross network’s response on the ground, which spans more than a dozen neighboring countries to deliver food, shelter, medical care, emotional support and other critical aid for displaced families.
Meanwhile, the American Red Cross has also provided financial support to the ongoing hunger crisis in Africa. Overall this year, as part of the world’s largest humanitarian network, the American Red Cross provided humanitarian aid in more than 108 countries. Here in the Heart of the Valley Chapter, Red Cross international efforts including opening several Restoring Family Links cases, to reunite families separated by war, crisis or forced migration, and educating hundreds of participants on International Humanitarian Law.
Overcoming The First-Ever Red Cross Blood Crisis
In January 2022, the Red Cross experienced its worst national blood shortage in over a decade, due to ongoing collection challenges and varied hospital demand during the pandemic. Patients in need of lifesaving blood transfusions relied on an outpouring of support from hundreds of thousands of generous blood donors to overcome the crisis.
Beyond national headlines, the need for blood is constant, as one in seven patients entering a hospital will need a blood transfusion. Every day, Red Cross blood donors are the lifeline for car accident victims, parents with complicated childbirths, individuals battling cancer and people with sickle cell disease. Make an appointment to give blood or platelets this holiday season by visiting RedCrossBlood.org.
Providing Support For Personal Emergencies
In the Heart of the Valley Chapter, Red Cross workers have helped people through other personal emergencies too, whether it was connecting a loved one with a deployed service member during a family crisis or training people to provide CPR for those suffering from cardiac arrest. In 2022, the Bay Area Chapter provided 860 case services for military members, veterans and their families, and educated 7,108 people in First Aid/CPR/AED courses.
Visit the local Year in Review page for more information about how the Red Cross helped people of the Heart of the Valley Chapter in 2022.
With local offices in San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Merced counties, the American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, visit the website at redcross.org/hov or call (209) 645-1239. You may also find them on Facebook and Twitter.
