American Red Cross
Northern California Coastal Region
San Benito County Service Center
455 San Benito St., Suite 30
Hollister, CA 95023
redcross.org/norcalcoastal
Media Contact: Kathryn Hecht
Telephone: 707-291-9601
kathryn.hecht@redcross.org
Join us as we continue to provide service, innovation, and hope to our communities
Hollister, Calif. (Thursday, May 20, 2021) — Though it has been 140 years since Clara Barton founded the American Red Cross, the need to alleviate human suffering hasn’t changed. Today, people continue to come together in innovative ways to serve and give hope during life’s emergencies. Red Cross volunteers, donors and partners unite from all backgrounds to help everyone in need, whether they’re coping with disasters, medical emergencies or the sacrifices of military life.
As disasters become more frequent and intense, Red Cross volunteers are charting the path forward for future generations. Climate change is one of the most persistent challenges of our time, and the Red Cross has seen first-hand the impact that climate change has had on the frequency and severity of natural disasters in Northern California and throughout the country. Consequently, there’s an increasing demand for Red Cross services as families deal with more severe storms, floods and wildfires. The Red Cross is training more local volunteers near disaster-prone areas and leveraging mapping technology to better identify and meet disaster needs in communities across Merced and San Benito Counties.
One such Merced volunteer, Irene Johnson, has served with the Red Cross since the Vietnam War, deploying to help people affected by 26 separate disasters over the years. Irene volunteered during the Hurricane Irma response in 2017 as a recovery care team member. She vividly recalls bulldozers pushing the remnants of people’s lives into huge piles. “The magnitude of Irma was incredible,” Irene said. But the tough times were overshadowed by great memories working with many other caseworkers. “They were phenomenal,” she says, “We all loved each other and stuck together through the hard times.”
While we can’t stop emergencies from happening, the Red Cross can help ensure that people never face them alone. Join the Red Cross as a volunteer to provide relief and care wherever it’s needed — today and for years to come. Here are some of the volunteer positions your local Red Cross urgently needs filled:
Disaster Action Team Member: Support your local on-call Disaster Action Team and respond to local emergencies, such as home fires, to provide services to support the immediate basic needs of families after a disaster.
Recovery Care Team Member: Provide general recovery casework support for individuals and families that were recently were displaced by a disaster. Work includes providing referrals for community resources and guidance while people navigate their next steps. Computer work is required, training is provided.
Disaster Mental Health Team Member: Join in providing Disaster Mental Health interventions to local individuals and families impacted by a disaster. The Red Cross is also recruiting a coordinator to support the day-to-day development of this team.
Disaster Health Services Team Members: Red Cross Disaster Health Services team members support our local residents with medical-related needs that occur as a result of a disaster through providing resources and referrals.
Mass Care Team Member: Support local emergency preparedness through shelter site inspections and shelter planning, complete training in feeding and sheltering procedures, and support exercises with other Red Cross volunteers and community partners.
To begin an application to join us as volunteer, please visit redcross.org/volunteer. If you have any questions about these positions or your application, please contact Felicia Woolfolk, Recruitment Manager, at felicia.woolfolk@redcross.org or 209-812-5203.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.