President Biden Proclaims March as Red Cross Month

President Joseph Biden has proclaimed March as Red Cross Month — a tradition which began 80 years ago when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt issued the first national Red Cross Month proclamation — a tradition each American president has followed ever since.

“Across America, I have seen the work of the Red Cross firsthand. When hurricanes make landfall and floodwaters rise, the Red Cross is ready to provide food, shelter, and emergency supplies,” the proclamation reads. “When wildfires spread and tornadoes uproot communities, volunteers arrive from around the country to help survivors heal, recover, and rebuild. We have also turned to the American Red Cross to respond to crises overseas in the wake of natural disasters and in preparation for emergencies before they happen. The old saying is still true today: The Red Cross is always there.”

Read entire proclamation here.

What does the Red Cross do?

• Responds to more than 60,000 disasters across the country every year.
  
• Trains more than 4.6 million people in first aid, water safety and other skills that help save lives.  
  
• Delivers more than 6.3 million blood products to meet the needs of patients at 2,500 hospitals and other facilities across the country.
  
• Provides more than 540,000 services to service members, veterans and their families.
  
• Helps nearly 143 million people outside the U.S. through disaster management and disease prevention efforts.

Join us during Red Cross Month by visiting redcross.org to make a financial donation, give blood or platelets, become a volunteer or take a class in lifesaving skills, such as first aid, CPR and how to use an AED. On March 22, you can also join our annual Red Cross Giving Day campaign by donating at redcross.org/givingday to help provide shelter, food, relief items, emotional support and other assistance for people affected by disasters big and small.