Sophie and Hannah are just two of the many volunteers who’ve raised their hands to help their local neighborhood after Hurricane Ian devastated Southwest Florida almost two weeks ago. Friends from graduate school and looking to give back to their Florida community, they decided to help locally by volunteering with the Red Cross.

On Saturday, they worked in a shelter in Estero where they set up cots and talked to residents. On Sunday, they joined another new Florida volunteer, Rick, and unloaded Red Cross emergency response vehicles. These vehicles bring hot meals, water, snacks, and clean-up supplies to the communities hit hardest by the storm. Rick, Sophie, and Hannah said they wanted to ‘pay it forward’ as they were fortunate to have not sustained damage from Hurricane Ian, unlike many of their southwest Florida neighbors. 

Volunteers like Sophie, Hannah, and Rick are vital in helping to fulfill the lifesaving mission of the Red Cross. Thank you for spending time with us.

Looking for a way to help after Hurricane Ian? Become a volunteer today by visiting redcross.org/SFLvolunteer

Written by Stephanie Wesseling, American Red Cross Public Affairs