PORTLAND, NOVEMBER 19, 2025 In 2025, local volunteers became a lifeline for thousands of people reeling from disasters in our region and across the country.

In a powerful display of community, hundreds of volunteers from the Cascades Region responded alongside partners to provide safe refuge, hot meals and basic health services. They also distributed $800,000 in financial assistance directly to households recovering in 2025 from disasters of all sizes. This includes over 600 local home fires.

Crises like these show no signs of slowing down. During the holidays, home fire responses spike nearly 20% nationwide, due to seasonal risks such as cooking and heating. In the Cascades Region alone, nearly 400 people rely on the Red Cross after home fires in a typical November and December. 

“Disasters don’t take holidays — and neither do our volunteers,” said Red Cross Cascades CEO Priscilla Fuentes. “Thanks to generous donations, they have the resources to respond around the clock, delivering care and hope to families in need. By coming together, we help ensure that no one faces a crisis alone — even during the holidays.”

This Giving Tuesday and holiday season, visit redcross.org to make a financial donation. You can also make an appointment to give blood or platelets. The need for blood is constant — and just like disasters, medical emergencies don’t take holidays.
 

Also in 2025:

· Our local volunteers delivered aid for major disasters locally and across the country 500 times, including deploying to the Los Angeles wildfires, to the Harney County floods, Rowena and Burdoin wildfires in The Gorge, and to the major flooding in Alaska. Responding to disasters is a team effort, and as they become more frequent and intense, families are relying on volunteers for support.

· Over 109,000 blood and platelet donors helped save lives in the Cascades Region and across the country, including people facing life-threatening conditions like cancer, sickle cell disease, childbirth complications and traumatic injuries. Patients rely on a consistent blood supply to survive and heal — and it’s the blood already on the shelves that helps save lives in an emergency.
 

Visit Redcross.org/Cascades for stories about how people from Oregon and SW Washington helped in 2025.
 

About GivingTuesday:

GivingTuesday is an annual event dedicated to boosting radical generosity, held on the Tuesday after Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Created in 2012 at New York’s 92nd Street Y, the idea behind GivingTuesday was to set aside a single day to give back. Over 13 years, this idea has grown into a global movement that inspires millions of people to donate, volunteer and spread awareness. For many nonprofits, funds raised on GivingTuesday serve as an important kickoff for year-end charitable campaigns.
 

About Our Regional Holiday Supporters:  

The Red Cross is grateful for corporate partners who contribute to our Holiday Campaign. They include regional partners like Leatherman, Mountain House, Starker Forests, and Paul Davis Restoration. Thanks to the generosity of these and other supporters, the Red Cross is able to bring help and hope to people in need.
 

DISASTER B-ROLL:

https://vimeo.com/1125926878/73b80ed654
 

About the American Red Cross:

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on social media.