Background

I haven’t mentioned this, but one of the first things I did when I retired last spring was to sign up as a Red Cross volunteer. I’d long been familiar with the organization, ever since my first job as a lifeguard. (We had to take Red Cross classes for certification.)

Once Hurricane Katrina struck Louisiana in 2005, I felt the call to help, but I didn’t know how. I was working for the University of Minnesota at the time and ended up joining an emergency response group to help with communication. But it seemed the only type of communication assistance they required was telecommunications, not public/media communications. Sitting around when people were in dire need was frustrating.

In the years since, I noticed how the Red Cross helped local people who experienced house fires, and towns that were struck by wildfires, floods, and hurricanes. I also became acquainted with the director of the local Red Cross chapter and learned that the organization actively seeks volunteers.

So, I put volunteering for the Red Cross at the top of my “Things to do When I Retire” list. Immediately after I retired, I visited their website and signed up to help during a crisis. There are two volunteer categories for that: Disaster Services and Disaster Action Team.

Disaster Services helps with mass feeding and sheltering of people impacted by major disasters (fires, floods, hurricanes). Disaster Action Team members help with single-family disasters like housefires. I submitted my information online, and it wasn’t long before I was contacted. Eventually, I had a short phone interview with someone from the Twin Cities, and I was in!

The interviewer wanted to add me to the Red Cross’s public information team, but I wasn’t ready for that yet. I wanted to help more directly, and also to get a feel for the organization before I began representing it to the news media. It also felt too much like the work I just retired from, and I wanted a break. So, I put that opportunity on hold, but I can revisit it once I gain more experience.

I took a series of online courses, which required about a month to complete. I also attended an in-person (virtual) class that took up one afternoon. As of now, I’m certified in Disaster Services, but I still have a few more classes to take for the Disaster Action Team.

Calls to Action!

My first opportunity came the day we returned from our retirement celebration trip to Grand Cayman Island. A fire was burning north of Duluth (very near our cabin!), and the Red Cross was setting up a drinking water and info station in a community center.

Saying “no” frustrated me because I really wanted to help, but we had a small “disaster” on our hands ourselves with no food in the house and piles of laundry to do!

I missed that opportunity, but the next one came about a week before Thanksgiving. A fire at the end of October in a large apartment building in St. Paul displaced 1,200-1,500 people, many who were immigrants. Most were housed in hotels across the city. The Red Cross was feeding them lunches and dinners (breakfasts were provided by the hotels).

Due to the long timeline of the operation and the impending holiday, there was an urgent need for new volunteers. I raised my hand, so to speak, and was soon set up with a Red Cross credit card for my food and a hotel room. I expected to be gone from home for two weeks. We weren’t planning anything special for Thanksgiving, so this was okay by me.

The first day of my deployment, I fed people “virtually.” I was assigned to the Minneapolis Red Cross Office with several other volunteers to help fill hundreds of grocery bags with food for the disaster victims who had kitchenettes in their hotel rooms. We were instructed how many of each item to put into the bags (2 cans of peas, 3 granola bars, etc.) and formed an assembly line, each of us filling one bag at a time. Then we placed the bags on tables and the floor for other volunteers to cart out to trucks for transport.

We rocked that assembly line! The leader said we were the best group ever. But I bet she says that to all the groups. 😊

The next two days, I fed people in a hotel in a suburb about a half-hour away. I worked in a room off the lobby with another volunteer who was from the Twin Cities area. The Red Cross usually has people work in pairs for safety and to help with information exchange. My partner showed me the ropes. We arrived before lunch and got the room ready for the meal distribution by putting out supplies stored there (like fruit, water, granola bars). When the hot meals were delivered (in to-go containers), we’d set them out and open the room doors so that residents knew meals were available.

Many of the residents had found other food sources, so we only gave out about twenty meals each time. This was far fewer than I was expecting, but I suppose that’s a good thing. Between meals, we hung out in the room, read books, and chatted. I had my evenings free and was able to enjoy dinners with Twin Cities friends and relatives.

The next day was the last day feeding was scheduled. Many of the victims were able to move back into their apartments, or they were given food vouchers by the apartment managers. I worked at a different hotel with a different partner. As we served their last meals, many victims expressed their thanks. Most were Somali or Asian. I should mention that the Red Cross went to special lengths to provide culturally acceptable food (Halal dishes). I did not hear one complaint!

Wrap-Up

Because things were wrapping up by the time I arrived, my deployment only lasted five days instead of fourteen. I was able to spend Thanksgiving at home, which was good because my stepdaughter and our grand dogs came for an impromptu visit.

Overall, I felt the assignment was cushy. I was in a city that was intact and functional (versus a community ravaged by a hurricane or fire). I had my own hotel room versus sleeping on a cot in a shelter. The people we helped seemed comfortable with their surroundings. The volunteers I worked with were similar to me (retired do-gooders who like to read), and I had time to visit friends I wouldn’t have seen otherwise.

On the day I left, there were rumors of ICE agents present in the city. I was glad I was departing for Duluth. We all know how that turned out. ☹ The Red Cross has since issued guidance on how to react if agents arrive at a Red Cross operation.

It was a good introduction to how the Red Cross works. I’m looking forward to my next experience!

For the first nine months of 2025, my chapter alone (Northern and Central MN) helped 267 families affected by disaster. They trained 10,700 people in lifesaving skills, and were supported by 464 volunteers who gave over 32,000 hours of service. If you’re feeling the need to do something positive, consider volunteering.