7/27/2017
My name is Stephanie Patton and I work for the American Red Cross of Chicago & Northern Illinois. As you may know, hundreds of our neighbors across northern Illinois were impacted by the severe storms and flooding that occurred nearly two weeks ago. Since then, over 200 Red Cross staff and volunteers from both the local community and around the country have been working day and night to provide relief to those affected. Unfortunately, we’re not alone in this response as heavy rains have also affected families in Wisconsin, Ohio and Indiana. Across these four states, the Red Cross has provided more than 180 overnight shelter stays, served more than 16,500 meals and snacks and distributed over 30,000 relief items, including clean-up kits to help families muck out their homes impacted by the flooding.
In Illinois alone we have:
- Distributed nearly 22,000 relief supplies
- Served over 11,700 meals and snacks
- Made home visits to help hundreds with damage assessments
However, our work is far from over. In the days ahead, Red Cross volunteers from across the country will continue to help our neighbors by delivering hundreds of relief items and working with residents to address their immediate needs. We will also coordinate mass care, casework, and disaster mental health services for individuals at a reception center open now through Sunday in Crystal Lake at the Nunda Township Municipal Building.
Additionally, the Red Cross will open a MARC (Multi-Agency Resource Center) in McHenry County on Friday from 11:00 am – 8:00 pm and Saturday from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm. A MARC is a place where people needing assistance with their recovery can find resources to help. Recently, a MARC was opened in Round Lake Beach where 27 community partners came together to provide a wide array of services to more than 1,000 families who were impacted by the floods.
Although volunteers have been a major part of the entire response to the Midwest flooding, we still need more to assist with our ongoing recovery efforts. If you are interested in volunteer opportunities, please email mark.barnfield@redcross.org or at 312-729-6111 to share your interest.
Or, if you and your congregation at Christ United Methodist Church would like to help people affected by disasters like floods and countless other crises, you can make a gift to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief. Your gift enables us to prepare for, respond to, and help people recover from disasters big and small. To make your gift please go to https://www.redcross.org/donate, or if you would like to discuss making a larger gift to the Red Cross to support Disaster Relief from your congregation mission fund or other sources, please feel free to contact me at (312) 729-6135 to discuss further. I would be happy to work with you on this.
Thank you for your dedicated work in the community. I hope to hear from you soon.
Best,
Stephanie Patton
Special Events Coordinator
American Red Cross
Chicago & Northern Illinois
2200 W. Harrison St.
Chicago, IL 60612
Phone: 312-729-6135