The American Red Cross is looking for volunteers to help respond to disasters, engage with blood donors at blood drives and deliver blood products from their facilities to hospitals.
With the country facing a national blood crisis and climate change bringing more intense and severe weather, the Red Cross is asking people to consider helping others by becoming a volunteer now.
There are many different ways to volunteer:
- DISASTER ACTION TEAM Winter’s cold weather increases the risk of home fires. In fact, more home fires occur during the winter months than at any other time of year. Trained Red Cross Disaster Action Team (DAT) volunteers help families with their immediate needs after a home fire and offer support during a very difficult time, providing emotional support, access to financial assistance and information to help families begin to recover. DAT team members respond either on the scene or remotely to provide immediate compassion and care.
- BLOOD DONOR AMBASSADORS Blood donations are essential to the health of our communities and blood donor ambassadors are a vital part of this work. Volunteers in this role engage with blood donors by greeting, registering, answering questions, providing information and supporting them through the recovery process at the refreshments table. Learn more here.
- TRANSPORTATION SPECIALISTS There is a high need for volunteer transportation specialists who support hospital patients by delivering blood from our facilities to local hospitals. For those who love driving and enjoy meeting new people, this is a great volunteer opportunity. More information is available here.
There Red Cross says there are also virtual positions that allow volunteers to serve from the comforts of their homes. Training is free. Find out more about all of the volunteer opportunities at redcross.org/volunteer.