Story and photos by Barbara Wood, American Red Cross Public Affairs

Daniel Carmichael, a 22-year-old from Fort Myers, said that once his family safely weathered Hurricane Ian with almost no damage, he started looking for a way to help. “I knew I needed to get out there and do something. I just couldn’t sit in the house and be complacent.”

What he found was the Red Cross. Daniel quickly and easily signed up at RedCross.org/volunteer and was given a job to do.

On Tuesday, Oct. 5, his job was to load supplies to be delivered to communities devastated by Hurricane Ian.

“I loved it,” Daniel said of his first work shift as a Red Cross volunteer. “I met some great people and had a great time. I’ve already signed up for shifts for the rest of the week.”

“We got a lot done,” Daniel said of his work crew of fellow brand-new Red Cross volunteers.

“I’m already going through the process of becoming a regular Red Cross volunteer,” Daniel said.

For others who want to help out, Daniel said the process is "very simple." Once he had input information about himself, the background check took less than a half hour. Daniel said he could use an online shift tool and choose available volunteer jobs nearby. Daniel said the tool told him where to show up and what to bring.