Give Hope

The holidays are a time for community. As we come together with loved ones over the next few weeks, it’s important for us to remember the ways that we can be a beacon of hope for those who need our support and care.

I think of the families whose lives have been turned upside down by emergencies, especially by the growing frequency and intensity of disasters. In fact, 2023 is a record year of extreme climate and weather events with each causing losses exceeding $1 billion — including the devastating floods that impacted the Central Coast.

Plus, over the past decade, the number of billion-dollar disasters has increased by 80 percent in the U.S. — all on top of smaller, everyday crises like home fires, which are no less devastating to the families coping with them.

Year-round, local volunteers from the American Red Cross Pacific Coast Chapter answered the call to help in people’s darkest hours, providing refuge, food and comfort for communities devastated by disasters across the country, as well as in their own backyard.

But with no signs of extreme disasters slowing down, we must work together to do more.

Please join us to give comfort and hope by visiting redcross.org to make a financial donation. You can also help by booking a time to give blood or becoming a Red Cross volunteer. It takes all of us to care for one another. During the holiday season, turn your compassion into action for the families who depend on our collective support.

Tony Briggs is the regional CEO of American Red Cross of Central California.