The American Red Cross is recognizing the country’s everyday heroes during Red Cross Month.

“Our community is full of everyday heroes who help others in need,” said Gary Strong, Chief Executive Officer of the American Red Cross Gold Country Region. “They are our selfless Red Cross volunteers, blood donors, and financial contributors who bring comfort to people facing life’s emergencies. During Red Cross Month, we thank them for their tremendous support.”

March has been recognized as Red Cross Month for more than 70 years. The Red Cross depends on local heroes to fulfill its mission and responds to a community disaster every eight hours locally, providing shelter, food, emotional support and other necessities to those affected. The organization provides 24-hour support to members of the military, veterans and their families, at home and around the world. It must collect 14,000 units of blood every day to fulfill the country’s needs. It trains millions of people in first aid, water safety and other lifesaving skills. And it supports the vaccination of children around the globe against measles and rubella.

The Red Cross Gold Country Region serves a 24 county territory including Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, El Dorado, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tuolumne, Yolo, and Yuba counties.

In fiscal year 2014-2015, the Gold Country Region, supported by more than 2,700 dedicated volunteers:

Responded to the Butte Fire, considered one of the top 10 most destructive wildfires in California history. The fire burned 70,868 acres and claimed the life of two individuals. It destroyed 475 homes and 343 outbuildings. With the power of volunteers and outpouring of monetary support from the community, Red Cross was able to provide shelter, food, and clothing, in addition to mental health services to those affected as well as ongoing recovery support.

Responded to 589 local disasters.

Provided 739 families with financial assistance after local disasters.

Supported 1,132 military service members through the Service to the Armed Forces Program.

Trained 43,250 individuals in preparedness through First Aid, CPR, and water safety classes.

“It’s easy to become a Red Cross community hero,” said Strong. “Be ready for an emergency by creating a preparedness plan for your home. Test your smoke alarms and tell your neighbors to do the same. Or sign up to be a Red Cross volunteer, or make a financial donation.”

People can find more information about supporting the Red Cross on redcross.org. The Red Cross is not a government agency and relies on donations of time, money and blood to do its work. An average of 91 cents of every dollar the Red Cross raises goes directly to humanitarian services and programs.