By: Jessica Wurst
For Mike Wood, volunteering at the American Red Cross was a long time coming.
In fact, it started as a joke.
Before retiring, his friends would kid with him about his inability to sit still. Whenever someone asked what he planned to do in retirement, he would joke that he'd be one of those Red Cross volunteers handing out supplies.
The punchline is that it actually happened.
"There are many answers to why I've taken on this role after retiring from an exhausting IT career," said Wood. "The simple answer is that I have this built in desire to help those in need."
What began as a retirement plan became an extraordinary second career of service.
After retiring from California State University following more than three decades in information technology, Wood brought his expertise to the Red Cross. Over the next decade, he became one of the driving forces behind logistics operations in the California Gold Country Region, helping strengthen warehousing, transportation, facilities support and volunteer training.
His post-professional life has been dedicated to the Red Cross mission, so much so that he approached volunteering like a full-time job. He held himself to strict, long hours, more than 40 hours a week, which earned him a dedicated office and personalized business cards.
"One thing I learned from my great aunt is that if you stay active, you'll never grow old. She was 103 when she passed away," Wood said.
For Wood, staying active meant ensuring communities would be ready when disasters struck.
The Power of Behind-the-Scenes Volunteers
Many people picture Red Cross volunteers staffing shelters, distributing meals or supporting families after disasters. But behind every successful disaster response is a team of volunteers working behind the scenes to make sure supplies, equipment and personnel are ready when they're needed most.
That is where Wood found his calling.
As logistics lead at the Yuba City warehouse, he led volunteers responsible for organizing, maintaining and deploying critical disaster relief supplies. From cots, blankets and comfort kits to smoke alarms, water and shelter equipment, Wood helped ensure resources were ready to reach communities at a moment's notice.
"I spent 47 years in a high-stress, high-pressure and high-activity information technology career," Wood said. "On call most of the time, pulled in many directions simultaneously, with insufficient staffing to do all that needed to be done. Seems like that is what logistics is all about in the Red Cross, so what I was doing was a great fit." - Wood describing how his work at the warehouse benefits those who need it.
While Wood prefers to be behind the scenes, his impact reached thousands of people. Anyone who received a comfort kit or slept in a Red Cross shelter in Northern California during the past decade likely benefited from systems Wood helped build.
His partnership with Regional Disaster Program Officer Robin Friedman helped establish the California Gold Country Region as one of the strongest logistics programs in the country.
"Mike is a humanitarian. He's humorous, kindhearted and he has vision,” said Friedman. “All those things are extremely important for a leader within our organization.”
Answering the Call
Wood's service extended far beyond warehouse walls.
Over the years, he traveled throughout California and across the country to provide training, support disaster responses and strengthen logistics operations. He deployed more than 25 times, often spending weeks away from home helping communities recover.
"During the summer in Northern California, I normally stay close and will deploy to the response for the region multiple times. Typically, I will come on the response with a standard 14-day deployment, extend a week or two, go off the response for a few days, then back on after I've rested," he said. "When I looked back at late 2024 and 2025, I realized that I had deployed for over one-third of a year."
Among his most memorable deployments was the 2017 Oroville Dam crisis, when damage to the spillway prompted evacuation orders for nearly 200,000 people. Families that came to the shelter in Chico were met with Wood's determination to help, and the occasional dad joke.
The following year, he played a key role in the response to the Camp Fire, one of California's deadliest and most destructive wildfires. As thousands sought refuge in shelters across the region, Wood worked to ensure responders had the supplies and support needed to care for displaced families.
The Red Cross coordinates with local officials and federal partners to ensure teams are positioned to respond quickly and efficiently to the needs of those affected by Typhoon Mawar. Mike Wood and other volunteers work tirelessly to ensure the right disaster responders are properly trained and critical supplies are lined up in strategic locations.
Another unforgettable deployment took him thousands of miles from home to Guam following Typhoon Mawar in 2023, where he served as warehouse manager.
One moment from that deployment remains especially meaningful.
"After completing the setup and assisting in registering the hundred or so clients, I was asked by the shelter manager to escort a young lady back to her hotel," Wood recalled. "It was her first deployment.
"As she was coming from the building to the car, she was emotionally distraught and weeping. I asked if she was okay and she said, 'Yes, these are good tears. I just feel so sorry for them.'
"What I told her was, 'Consider this: because of the work we have done today, no one on the island of Guam is sleeping on cardboard on cold cement tonight.'"
The moment perfectly captures the often-unseen value of logistics work. The supplies may arrive quietly, but their impact is felt by every person who finds comfort, safety and support during a disaster.
A Lasting Legacy
Earlier this year, Wood announced he is stepping back from a full-time volunteer position to be with loved ones while continuing to support the Red Cross in a reduced capacity.
When friends, fellow volunteers and staff gathered to celebrate his service this fall, the room was packed. Some attendees traveled as far as six hours to thank him for his years of dedication.
"Mike strengthened our ability to serve the communities in need. Whether in blue sky preparedness or gray sky disaster operations, Mike was the glue that held our regional logistics efforts together," said Kim Ta-a, Regional Mass Care and Logistics Manager at the Gold Country Region. "He had countless deployments and wavering commitment and generation sharing of his knowledge and talents."
Red Cross volunteers and staffers – including Kim Ta-a and Robin Friedman – gather for Wood's send off in Yuba City.
True to form, Wood spent years preparing for this transition. He mentored volunteers, documented processes and helped build a self-sufficient warehouse team capable of carrying the work forward.
For Wood, however, the people remain the most meaningful part of the journey.
"The people are certainly the most enjoyable part of my Red Cross experience. We all share the same desire to assist those who have for no reason of their own landed in a situation where they need someone to help."
"I have friends now from all over the U.S. and from associated groups like FEMA and Salvation Army," he said. "I'm very proud of the relationship that we've developed with the Northern California Coastal Region, our sister region. We share people, ideas, training, and when necessary, supplies."
Although Wood is stepping back from his day-to-day leadership role, his impact will continue to be felt for years to come.
The volunteers he trained will continue serving communities. The partnerships he built will continue strengthening disaster responses. The systems he created will continue helping families when they need support most.
And somewhere in the background of future Red Cross responses, there will be traces of the volunteer who never stood still.
As Wood reflected on his years of service, he offered a simple reminder:
"Sometimes we forget the impact we have on others, especially those in their time of need."
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