Local Red Cross volunteer heads to North Dakota

Local Red Cross volunteer Steve Shotwell is headed to Fargo, N.D. to join other Red Crosser's from across the nation as the Red River threatens to swell.

Shotwell, a Putnam County resident, will help ensure the safety and security of Red Cross volunteers and Red Cross resources involved in the flood relief efforts. Shotwell served in this capacity for Red Cross during Hurricane Katrina. He also has served in other capacities for Red Cross in response to hurricanes Wilma and Gustav. Steve and his wife Carolyn both volunteer for the Red Cross in Putnam County.

The American Red Cross continues to provide food, shelter and comfort to residents who live in the shadow of the Red River. All week, the Red Cross has been providing meals to the sandbag volunteers, with shelters open to offer a warm, safe place for people to stay should the water overtake their homes.

More than 330 Red Cross volunteers are deployed to the area, along with 22 shelter management teams. Twenty-eight emergency response vehicles are providing food for the volunteers and more are on the way. Visit www.redcross.org for updates.

To help people affected by disasters like the current floods and winter storms, donate to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. On those rare occasions when donations exceed Red Cross expenses for a specific disaster, contributions are used to prepare for and serve victims of other disasters.

These gifts enable the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to victims of all disasters.

For more information on donating, call 1-800-REDCROSS or 1-800-257-7575 (mail donations to: America Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013.)

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and counsels victims of disasters; provides nearly half of the nation's blood supply; teaches lifesaving skills; and supports military member and their families. The Red Cross is a charitable organization -- not a government agency -- and depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its humanitarian mission.

For more information, visit www.redcross.org or join our blog at www.redcrosschat.org.

The Wabash Valley Chapter is the local arm that serves Clay, Greene, Parke, Putnam, Sullivan, Vermillion, and Vigo counties in Indiana and Edgar County in Illinois.

To learn about giving and volunteer needs of the local Red Cross, call 812-232-3393.