#help1family by donating on April 26 to help families affected by disaster

 The American Red Cross is asking people in Rhode Island to remember those families impacted by disaster and to #help1family on Giving Day, Wednesday, April 26. Your donation can provide hope and urgent relief such as food, blankets and other essentials to people who need it most.

“Nearly every eight minutes, there is a family that has lost everything to a home fire or other disaster. This one-day nationwide event will raise funds to ensure the Red Cross is able to meet the critical mission of helping those families who have been affected by emergencies,” said Susan Roberts, Executive Director, American Red Cross Rhode Island.

Giving Day is a 24-hour fundraising campaign supporting the work of the Red Cross, helping people across the country each and every day in need of emergency support.

Here in Rhode Island the Red Cross responded to 200 disasters last year, the majority of which were home fires and helped nearly 500 families. As part of the Red Cross Home Fire Campaign, our region has installed more than 12,000 smoke alarms and have made 4,500 families safer.

Red Cross Health and Safety instructors taught more than 10,500 Rhode Island residents how to protect themselves and their families or to help others in an emergency through classes in First Aid, CPR, Lifeguard training, Babysitter training, Community Disaster Education programs and more, making our neighborhoods safer for everyone who lives here.

Your support of the American Red Cross Giving Day is a promise of better days ahead for those in our community who have lost everything. Please consider donating to the Red Cross at https://givingday.redcross.org/region/rhode-island-and-connecticut on April 26.

About the American Red Cross:
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 redcross.org or cruzrojaamericana.org, or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.