American Red Cross of Northern New England

Did you know? Heating equipment is a leading cause of home fire deaths. Keep your family safe this winter by giving heaters at least 3 feet of space! Most home heating fires start when flammable items like furniture, rugs, and drapes are too close. #ENDHOMEFIRES For more information on home fire escape planning or to request a free smoke alarm, visit https://lnkd.in/e3cA6gt

Daylight saving time ends on November 3 and the American Red Cross encourages everyone to test their smoke alarms as they turn their clocks back to make sure the devices are working. 🏘️ Install smoke alarms on every level of your home, including inside and outside bedrooms and sleeping areas. 🔟 Replace smoke alarms that are 10 years or older. Components such as sensors can become less sensitive over time. Follow your alarm manufacturer’s instructions. 🔥 Practice your two-minute home fire escape plan. Make sure everyone in your household can get out in less than two minutes — the amount of time you may have to escape a burning home before it’s too late. 🌳 Include at least two ways to get out of every room and select a meeting spot at a safe distance away from your home, such as your neighbor’s home or landmark like a specific tree in your front yard, where everyone can meet.

There's still time to share some holiday joy with our service members deployed overseas. Will you help us fill care packages for "Operation Holiday Cheer?" 🎁 Our Red Cross Service to the Armed Forces Team is collecting items to support the health and well-being of service members deployed to Poland. These items include little comforts like individually packaged snacks and toiletries. To see the full donation list please visit our Amazon Wish List: https://rdcrss.org/4gNVLTL. Donations can only be accepted until November 8, 2024. You have ONE week left! For mailing and/or Red Cross office drop-off locations, please contact: [email protected]. Thank you for supporting our deployed service members!

Please join us in wishing Maine Red Crosser Raybo Frank safe travels today as he heads to Ashville, North Carolina. He will be joining the nearly 1,200 American Red Cross volunteers who have responded to Hurricanes Milton and Helene providing shelter, meals, relief supplies and a shoulder to lean to. For weeks, weary families across the Southeast have been living with the inconceivable damage left behind after these devastating storms. Our work isn’t close to being done. Alongside our partners, the Red Cross will be there to support those in need for weeks and months to come. People affected by these disasters need urgent help now, and we can’t do this alone. Help people affected by disasters like fires, tornadoes, and countless other crises, by making a gift to Red Cross Disaster Relief by visiting redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767) or texting the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Thank you Raybo for your service!

Thank you to our brave swimmers at this year's Vampire Swim at Lake Memphremagog in Newport, Vermont! The event was a part of Newport's annual Halloween festivities where swimmers each donated blood as part of their "entry fee". We are grateful for the swimmers for raising awareness of the need to give blood. The American Red Cross hosts 1200 blood drives a year in Vermont. Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood. With the help of volunteer blood donors, the Red Cross distributes blood products across the country every day. Eligible individuals are encouraged to schedule a blood or platelet donation appointment by using the Red Cross Blood Donor app, visiting our website or calling 1-800-RED-CROSS. 🏊

"If the Red Cross did not come to me and help me, who knows where I would have been. It's really powerful." Glenn lost nearly everything when Hurricane Idalia struck Florida in August 2023. The American Red Cross was there and helped him find a place to stay. A year later, Glenn's home was hit again by Hurricane Helene. The Red Cross was back to provide care and comfort. American Red Cross disaster responders are helping across the Southeast as people come to grips with immense losses from Milton and Helene. People desperately need help and with dozens of our partners, the Red Cross is providing comfort and relief in Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas and Tennessee. For almost a month, exhausted families across the Southeast have been living with the inconceivable damage left behind from these storms. As families try to take their next steps, more than 1,200 American Red Cross responders are with them, providing shelter, meals, relief supplies and a shoulder to lean to make sure no one faces this disaster alone. Our work isn’t close to being done. Alongside our partners, the Red Cross will be there to support those in need for weeks and months to come. People affected by these disasters need urgent help now, and we can’t do this alone. You can help by making a financial donation, an appointment to give blood or platelets, or signing up to become a volunteer by visiting redcross.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767).

A big thank you to the students and staff at Somerset Elementary School in Hartland for their outstanding efforts in raising money for hurricane relief on behalf of the American Red Cross. The students organized a penny drive that raised $1,360 to support recovery efforts for those affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton, which recently caused severe devastation in the Southeast. Throughout the past week, students collected all the spare change they could find, challenging each other to see which class could bring in the most pennies. Somerset teachers Allie Hessen and Denise Bates, who both have families impacted by Hurricane Helene, were particularly moved by the footage from the Asheville area, where significant damage was reported. Last Friday, the school gathered in the auditorium to present the check to the Red Cross and celebrate the success of the fundraiser. "This is enormous," Caroline King, executive director of the American Red Cross for Northern and Eastern Maine, said. "These kids put their heart and soul into this gift." Thank you to NEWS CENTER Maine for coming to cover the check presentation and sharing the kindness of Somerset Elementary with their viewers. You can view the story here: https://rdcrss.org/4fiC1pK. Great job, Somerset Elementary, for showing such dedication and community spirit!

Five Mainers are picking up the pieces after a fire reduced their 3-story apartment building in Caribou to rubble. The Red Cross responded to the scene and is currently working with the displaced residents to meet their immediate needs. The Red Cross responds to a disaster every eight minutes in the U.S. — most of which are home fires. October is Fire Prevention Month and we want to remind everyone that it’s important to be prepared for home fires. Fires can strike quickly, leaving you with as little as two minutes to safely escape. Help protect your loved ones by practicing your home fire escape drill until everyone can get out in less than two minutes. And teach children what a smoke alarm sounds like and what to do in an emergency. When building your plan... 🚪 Include at least two ways to exit every room in your home 🌳 Select a meeting spot at a safe distance away from your home, such as your neighbor’s home or landmark like a specific tree in your front yard, where everyone knows to meet. 🔥 Place smoke alarms on each level of your home, including inside and outside bedrooms and sleeping areas. Test alarms monthly and change the batteries at least once a year, if your model requires it. If you cannot afford to purchase smoke alarms or are physically unable to install one, the Red Cross may be able to help. Visit https://lnkd.in/ear7qctT.

What an exciting day in New Hampshire. We cut the ribbon on a new blood and platelet donation center in Amherst, providing Granite Staters with even more opportunities to help save lives. This new state-of-the-art facility is slated to increase our platelet collection by nearly 60% in New Hampshire! “To meet the growing and changing demands for blood products, this Amherst facility is one of many new blood donation centers the Red Cross is investing in across the country. This new site is a sister-site to our Manchester Blood Donor Center and will provide lifesaving blood to more patients in New Hampshire, New England and beyond," said Andree Baylor-Lloyd, fixed sites director, American Red Cross Biomedical Services.

It may not feel like it this week, but colder temperatures are coming! We'll be turning the heat on by the weekend, and it's important to remember your home heating safety tips to keep your family safe. According to the National Fire Protection Association, space heaters are most often responsible for home heating fires and a Red Cross survey showed that more than half of us have used one. It's critical to keep at least three feet of space around all heating equipment, and never leave space heaters unattended. Visit redcross.org/fire for more information, including an escape plan to practice with your family. Download the free Red Cross First Aid app so you’ll know what to do if emergency help is delayed and the free Emergency app for weather alerts, open Red Cross shelter locations and safety steps for different emergencies. Be ready for the winter weather! ❄️