At 2:30 in the morning on Thanksgiving Day, Samuel Hernandez got a frantic call from his neighbor. The neighbor’s apartment was on fire, and she urged Samuel and his family to get out now in case the flames spread.

As smoke began pouring in through a vent in Samuel’s living room, he and six members of his family – his wife, parents, granddaughter, grandson and sister-in-law -- escaped quickly. They then began alerting other neighbors in their Nampa apartment complex, giving them blankets to keep them warm as they waited outside.

Not long after, Red Cross volunteers arrived.

“They were here immediately,” Samuel said.

The team gathered everyone at a nearby McDonald’s and walked them through the services and support Red Cross provides. Volunteers delivered financial assistance, gave them blankets and comfort kits with items like a toothbrush, toothpaste and shampoo and helped them find motel rooms.

And they put their minds a little more at ease.

“We were all worried about where we were going to stay,” he said. “Red Cross stepped in and stepped up and told us we’re here to help you out, and we were grateful for that because we didn’t know where we were going to go the next day.”

Though the fire didn’t spread to Samuel’s apartment, his home – and everything inside -- suffered significant smoke damage.

 “Everything was just black,” he said. “We had to clean up everything from top to bottom. It was crazy.”

His apartment lost power during the fire, so Samuel used financial assistance provided by Red Cross to buy a small generator to help them see during the long cleanup process. Red Cross helped Samuel and his family replace medications damaged by smoke and also Samuel’s CPAP machine.

Other community groups, including his grandchildren’s school, also stepped in to help.

“People were reaching out to see if we needed anything,” he said.

Several months later, Samuel’s family is doing well. They’re still living in the same apartment and have replaced much of what was lost. And they’re in regular contact with Red Cross.

“To this day they call me now and then, making sure we’re doing good and if we need anything,” he said. “Red Cross had our backs at all times. I didn’t think an organization would reach out that much.”

This isn’t Samuel’s first contact with the Red Cross. The organization also helped his family in 2011 when his father-in-law had a home fire in Nampa.

“We’ve been through a lot,” he said.

At a time when people are often focused on their differences, Samuel’s thankful neighbors can still come together and lend a hand during difficult times.

“We’re all humans just trying to survive, and I’m just grateful everybody showed us that much love,” he said. “And that’s what the world needs, is just love.

“There’s a lot of people struggling, and they need help now and then. Even just a little bit helps.”

SUPPORT RED CROSS DISASTER RESPONSE

Red Cross volunteers helped more than 650 people in Idaho and East Oregon last year following a disaster, the vast majority of them home fires. Besides helping with families’ most immediate needs like food, clothing and shelter, Red Cross responders also connect clients with disaster mental health support and give them a warm shoulder to lean on.

To learn more about how you can support this important work with a financial gift, visit redcross.org/Idaho.

More than 90 percent of the Red Cross workforce are volunteers. Red Cross offers volunteer opportunities for almost any interest and skillset. Learn more by emailing IDMT.Recruiting@redcross.org or visiting redcross.org/volunteer.