This is a printer friendly version of an article from The Item.com
To print this article open the file menu and choose Print.
Close
Article published: May 29, 2009 Assistance for Red Cross is still needed
Calls for Red Cross assistance in the tri-county area continue to exceed fundraising efforts, officials said Wednesday.
Nancy Cataldo, service center operations director for the Central South Carolina Red Cross, said the agency is about $35,000 short of its $75,000 goal for the 2009 Heroes Campaign.
“Our fiscal year ends in June,” Cataldo said. “We have been seeking individuals and groups to donate $100 a month for 12 months as part of our Heroes Campaign. But we appreciate whatever we get. We know times are difficult. People are responding. The dollar figures are just small overall.”
While the revenue has been modest, the agency continues to respond to natural disasters in the Sumter area. Responses to fire make up most of the disasters locally, according to Public Relations Manager Lauren Way.
Red Cross responded to fires at three single-family dwellings during the week of May 18-24, Way said, with disaster assistance provided for 22 people. The Red Cross meets the immediate, disaster-caused needs of clients by providing lodging, food, clothes, life-sustaining medication, infant supplies and referrals to partner agencies.
Since May 1, Red Cross has responded to 10 disasters and assisted 52 people in Sumter, Lee and Clarendon counties at a cost of more than $20,000. All disaster assistance is provided free of charge. Sumter volunteer Larry Nettles said much of the assistance provided by Red Cross is delivered by volunteers, but providing lodging, food, clothing and other services costs money.
Nettles said, “The agency continues to receive less money. We can’t continue to provide the level of service that we’ve been providing without community donations. We realize people don’t have money. But you have to realize that most of the people who lose their homes to fire don’t have insurance. They need our help.”
Contact Staff Writer Randy Burns at rburns@theitem.com or (803) 491-4533.
Donations can be provided online at www.centralscredcross.org, by check to the Sumter Red Cross office at 1155-2 N. Guignard Dr., Sumter, SC, 29150, or by calling at (803) 775-2363.