This spring, families across the country and here in the Indiana Region may suddenly find themselves needing a safe place to sleep, a warm meal and help replacing essentials lost in minutes. Severe and volatile weather is common this time of year, with heightened flood risks from coast to coast and wildfire threats in drought-stricken communities from the Southwest to the Southeast. You can help ensure families don’t face disasters alone on Red Cross Giving Day, March 25, by supporting Disaster Relief at redcross.org/givingday.

Thanks to the generosity of our donors, Red Cross volunteers are ready to respond when help can’t wait. 

A Season of Fast Moving, Devastating Weather 
In January, severe winter storms forced families across multiple states to turn to the Red Cross for support, and that month alone, the organization provided more meals and snacks than during the previous January’s record-breaking wildfires in Los Angeles. In February, more than 100 shelters were opened across the country for families displaced by winter storms stretching from California to the Northeast, alongside extensive flooding on the West Coast and wildfires across the Plains. 

Local Response Efforts
Here in the Indiana Region we experienced disasters including tornadoes, flooding, severe winter weather and home fires that impacted more than 2,000 families in 2025. Since January 1, local volunteers have provided comfort and hope to more than 370 people after 318 local disasters, the majority of which are home fires. This month alone, our disaster teams supported residents impacted by recent tornadoes in Northwest Indiana, as well as those displaced by a fire at a senior living apartment complex in Danville, Indiana.

How Giving Day Donations Help 
By donating now, before an emergency strikes, your donation helps ensure the Red Cross can:

• Stock warehouses with urgently needed relief supplies
• Train volunteers in advance so they can respond immediately
• Maintain ready vehicles, logistics systems and equipment
• Set up shelters quickly in pre‑identified, safe locations
• Make sure families aren’t facing their first difficult hours alone

A gift of any size makes a difference. For example, a donation of $20 can provide a day of meals for someone devastated by a disaster.

Red Cross volunteers help provide hope on someone’s darkest day and deliver support when help can’t wait. Our mission endures today, 145 years since our founding, because of the generosity of people everywhere.

Please donate to Disaster Relief at redcross.org/givingday. A gift of any size truly makes a difference. If you’re unable to give financially, you can support the Red Cross mission by volunteering or donating blood. 

Blood Donations Are Needed Now More Than Ever 
This year’s severe weather has caused thousands of blood donations to go uncollected. Donors in unaffected areas make it possible for the Red Cross to continue meeting patient needs. 

About the American Red Cross Indiana Region:
The American Red Cross of Indiana Region serves 6.9 million people in 104 counties in Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Ohio through its chapters: Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, Southwest, and Greater Indianapolis (Regional Headquarters). 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 us at Redcross.org/Indiana or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @indianaredcross.