Written by Illinois Communications Manager Mara Thompson

As communities across Illinois continue to recover from repeated rounds of severe weather this summer, the Red Cross is working alongside local partners to provide comfort, care and support to people facing the aftermath.

Over the past several weeks, the Red Cross has had operations in Cook, Kendall, Ford, Lake, McLean and Will counties, with more than 155 Red Cross disaster workers responding to the needs of people affected by the storms.

The response has included sheltering residents who have been displaced from their homes, providing meals and snacks, distributing emergency supplies and connecting people with resources to help them begin the recovery process.

To date, there have been more than 590 overnight shelter stays at Red Cross-operated shelters, while the Red Cross and its community partners have served more than 23,000 meals and snacks to people affected by the disaster.

The Red Cross response would not be possible without community partners willing to step forward when their neighbors need help.

In Chicago Heights, Bethel Baptist Church and its Bethel Community Impact Center opened their doors, providing a place where the Red Cross could establish a shelter and care for residents impacted by the storms.

For Senior Pastor Lawrence Blackful Jr., saying yes was never really a question.

“The reason why it was an automatic yes is because first and foremost, the Southland of Chicago is home for me and particularly Chicago Heights,” Blackful said.

Blackful has spent much of his life serving the community, and when he sees a need, he believes in finding a way to meet it.

“Whenever I see a need, if there’s a way for me to help resolve that need or meet that need, I’m going to do that.”

For him, opening the doors of the community center was an extension of that mission.

“This is really the church work right here,” Blackful said. “This is what it’s about. Too often we get caught up in other things and lose focus of what the real message and where the real work is.”

That spirit of service became a shared effort. The Bethel Community Impact Center, Red Cross and Cook County Emergency Management teams worked together to make sure residents had what they needed.

“All of our teams have really come together to serve the families of the Southland and that does my heart good,” Blackful said.

For communities experiencing repeated severe weather, partnerships like this are critical. The Red Cross brings trained volunteers, resources and disaster expertise, while local organizations provide trusted spaces and relationships that help make it possible to reach people where they are.

The partnership at Bethel is one example of how communities can come together when disaster strikes — opening doors, sharing resources and making sure people do not have to navigate difficult circumstances alone.

As Illinois communities continue to recover from repeated rounds of severe weather, the need remains great. But so does the strength of the communities coming together to help one another.

“I can’t say thank you enough to the American Red Cross for all that you all do,” Blackful said. “And however I can be an ambassador for the work of the American Red Cross. I’m here.”

Help people affected by disasters big and small, whenever and wherever they occur across the country. Visit redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a donation.