Joe Mauro is the volunteer you hope you don't have to see but are so glad he's there when a disaster hits. Mauro was the first American Red Cross volunteer to respond to the people impacted by the tornado that recently struck Celina, Texas.

"I was the first Red Cross volunteer in Celina because people didn't know it was that bad," Mauro said. "They asked me to go out there because they were getting conflicting stories. It all looked good, and then I turned the corner, and houses were sticks."

Mauro spent that day helping residents well into the evening. As storms continued to pound North Texas in the coming week, the McKinney, Texas, resident found himself assisting other communities in need.

A week after helping Celina residents sort through the rubble of their homes, he was at George W. Truett Elementary School in Dallas, where the city set up a multi-agency resource center.

Mauro and other Red Cross volunteers handed out food, shovels, rakes and other clean-up supplies to residents affected by another storm system that had passed through the area. The storm knocked down trees and left hundreds of thousands without power.

"Being a volunteer lets you give people hope," Mauro said. "I see it every day. I go out to a family who's lost everything. You give them money, you give them food, you give them supplies. I like being on the ground, giving people what they need."

Mauro first encountered the Red Cross during Hurricane Ike. He was in Houston doing his job as a commercial roofer when he stopped for lunch. Next to where he was eating was a tent and two Red Cross volunteers making sandwiches for people affected by the storm.

"They were working as fast as they could, and cars were pulling up asking for a sandwich," Mauro explained. "So, I helped run sandwiches from the tent to the cars. I couldn't stop. I was out there for two hours handing out sandwiches. And I couldn't stop. But I realized I liked it, so when I got home, I went online and signed up to be a volunteer."

After training, he was quickly put to work on a disaster action team.

His first disaster was staging recovery assistance in a gym for a multi-family fire in Rowlett. Since then, he's been working up to three disasters a week, most regularly home fires.

Not surprisingly, Joe received the 2024 Disaster Cycle Services Volunteer of the Year award from the DFW Metro East Chapter.

Why does he keep doing it? "It's my church," Mauro said. "I leave there feeling like I accomplished something. I know in my special way, I can lighten it up a little bit and help people."

Between his constant banter with the people he's helping and volunteering, Mauro checks to see how people are doing. He wants to be there, helping people when they need just a kind word, a quick joke, or even a shovel and a tarp to get them moving again in the right direction.

There is a need for what the Red Cross does -- so when they call Mauro, he goes.

"I know when I get there, the people need me there to help them," Joe said. "I remember going to a fire and meeting a family in a car idling, waiting for me to show up because they had nowhere to go and needed us."

If you would like to help Joe deliver services on behalf of the Red Cross, please donate or sign up to volunteer at redcross.org.