American Red Cross - One More Hawaii Volunteer Deploying for Superstorm Sandy - Kaimuki

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American Red Cross - One More Hawaii Volunteer Deploying for Superstorm Sandy
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One More Hawaii Volunteer Deploying for Superstorm Sandy

People Can Support Response by Giving To Red Cross Disaster Relief

Honolulu, HI (November 5, 2012) – An additional Oahu Red Cross volunteer is being deployed to the East Coast to help victims of Superstorm Sandy, bringing the total number of Hawaii Red Cross volunteers deployed to 15.

“The response to Sandy is likely to be the biggest Red Cross response in the U.S. in the past five years. Your help is desperately needed. The people of Hawaii have always been generous during times of disasters and this response effort is huge. Please donate so that we can help those in need,” said Coralie Chun Matayoshi, CEO, American Red Cross, Hawaii State Chapter.

As a Nor’easter heads toward the East Coast, the American Red Cross is preparing to respond to this new storm while our massive relief response to Superstorm Sandy grows by the day.

The Red Cross is sending in 80,000 blankets and bringing food and relief supplies to the hardest hit areas to get help where it is needed and extending reach into more affected communities each day.

While access to many areas remains challenging, an extensive feeding operation is underway to get hot meals to residents in New Jersey and all five boroughs of New York, including the hard-hit Staten Island. The Red Cross has fixed feeding sites serving meals today and volunteers are providing mobile distribution of water, meals and snacks in neighborhoods. Shelters are also open where people can escape the cold, receive a hot meal and obtain the latest information on help available to them.

As the Red Cross continues to escalate its massive response operations, more than 5,300 Red Cross workers from all over the country are supporting shelters, providing food and water at fixed sites, and driving through neighborhoods to distribute meals and supplies. The entire Red Cross fleet of response vehicles, more than 320 in total, has been activated to distribute meals, water, snacks and relief supplies.

To date, the Red Cross has helped families and individuals in ten states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico affected by Sandy. The Red Cross has:

· Served more than 1 million meals and snacks

· Provided more than 54,000 overnight stays out of a total of 92,000 provided by all organizations

· Made more than 17,000 health services and emotional support contacts

· Handed out more than 60,000 relief items

HOW TO HELP

To donate, visit www.redcross.org, call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. People can also use the “donate” feature on the free Red Cross Apps to support the Red Cross relief response. Contributions may also be sent to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013 or to the American Red Cross - Hawaii State Chapter, 4155 Diamond Head Road, Honolulu, HI 96816.

About American Red Cross, Hawaii State Chapter

HOURS - Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

MISSION
The American Red Cross, a humanitarian organization led by volunteers and guided by its Congressional Charter and the fundamental principles of the International Red Cross Movement, will provide relief to victims of disaster and help people prevent, prepare for, and respond to emergencies. It accomplishes this mission through services that are consistent with its Congressional Charter and the Fundamental Principles of the International Red Cross movement.

The Hawaii State Chapter responds continually to large and small disasters throughout the State of Hawaii. The Red Cross is the only volunteer organization charged, by federal Congressional Charter, with responding during disasters to provide for the immediate emergency needs of families and individuals. In addition, the Chapter prepares individuals and businesses to be more prepared for emergencies and to initiate appropriate action to ensure the health and safety of those around them and themselves.

The American Red Cross is not a government agency. We depend on the aloha spirit of giving from our community to help others in need.

STATEWIDE PRESENCE
The Hawaii State Chapter consists of the Chapter headquarters, four branch offices (East Hawaii, West Hawaii, Kauai and Maui) and four military service centers (Hickam Air Force Base, Schofield Barracks, Kaneohe Marine Corp Base and Tripler Army Medical Center).

HISTORY
Founded in 1881 by Clara Barton, the American Red Cross is one of the oldest human service organizations in the United States. In 1905, the U.S. Congress chartered the Red Cross to help relieve the suffering caused by disasters. Over the years, we have become part of the very fiber of the community and Americans have grown to expect and rely on our swift, professional assistance through a national volunteer corps of more than 1.44 million people. The American Red Cross is one of more than 145 member nations that comprise the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. Currently, 967 chapters make up the American Red Cross.

Although 1917 is the official date that the first American Red Cross chapter was chartered in Hawaii, Red Cross work began as early as 1898, when some 300 women, including Princess Kaiulani, organized a Red Cross society to aid the sick and wounded soldiers stopping here on transports from the Philippines during the Spanish-American War.

Today, the Hawaii State Chapter is a leader in health and safety training. Red Cross disaster volunteers respond regularly to house and apartment fires, and are prepared for larger disasters like hurricanes, tsunamis, and floods.

Through its extensive use of trained volunteers, the American Red Cross has earned a reputation for being of one of the nation's most efficiently managed non-profit organizations, a distinction that has been recognized by publications such as Forbes, The Chronicle of Philanthropy, Nonprofit Times and Money Magazine. The Hawaii State Chapter of the American Red Cross has over 4,000 volunteers - a volunteer-to-staff ratio of more than 10 to 1.

The Hawaii State Chapter of the American Red Cross is known for excellent stewardship of funds. We have always prided ourselves on providing services that do not duplicate the services of other non-profits organizations and proactively seeking ways to collaborate with other providers.

Sep 14, 1917: Queen Liliuokalani's secretary, Colonel Iaukea, presents a hand-sewn Red Cross flag to members of the local Chapter on the steps of Iolani Palace. This ceremony took place a few months after the Hawaii Chapter was officially chartered. At the Queen's suggestion, the flag flew over the palace and later hung in the Throne Room during World War I. Mrs. Henry Dawson accepts flag. Territorial Governor Lucius Pinkham is behind Iaukea.

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American Red Cross - One More Hawaii Volunteer Deploying for Superstorm Sandy

Kaimuki, Hawaii
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