By Sue Wilson, Summit, Portage, and Medina Counties Chapter board of director. Edited by Glenda Bogar, American Red Cross volunteer. 

The holiday season is a time for family and festivities. It is also a time for shopping. Yep . . . starting today with Black Friday, we will be overwhelmed with “deals” filling our inboxes, mailboxes, TV screens and news feeds. We will see and hear ads on every media source out there rivaled only by the political ads we just made it through.

For many of us, it’s hard to think about a joyful holiday when so many people all over our great country are suffering unimaginable loss. News of more lives lost and the devastation and grief of the victims of the California wildfires greets us daily. And much of our nation is still dealing with the aftermath of this past year’s hurricanes and other localized tragedies like home fires. If the idea of buying a bunch of stuff, most of it not really needed, is hitting you this year, there’s something you can do.

Give something that means something. Give to the American Red Cross.

Donate in the name of a loved one. Wrap the receipt in an envelope and place it in a stocking. Make this type of gift giving a topic of conversation at the dinner table. Ask yourself this question: Can you remember the gifts you received last Christmas? Can you remember the gifts you bought others? Probably not. But one thing you may be able to remember, is that you spent a lot of money.

Wouldn’t it be great if you gave a gift this year that was not only memorable . . . but made a real difference?

A few facts:

• After a disaster, the Red Cross works with community partners to provide hot meals, snacks and water served in shelters or from Red Cross emergency response vehicles in affected neighborhoods.
• Trained Red Cross volunteers and employees are ready to deploy within hours of a disaster to help. No one else does this—not the government, not other charities.
• From small house fires to multistate natural disasters like the wildfires in California, the American Red Cross goes wherever needed so people can have clean water, safe shelter and hot meals when they need them most.

This year, you can give a unique and meaningful gift that can make a difference to help the people met by the Red Cross every 8 minutes who have been devastated by a disaster.

If you want to donate financial assistance for a specific disaster this past year, you can learn more by when you visit Hurricane Florence Financial Assistance Program and Hurricane Michael Financial Assistance Program. To learn about Red Cross assistance to support long-term recovery efforts, please visit Hurricane Harvey Recovery Program, Hurricane Irma Recovery Program, or California Wildfires Recovery Program.

Know that any donation made will be used it where it is needed most.

Your gift this holiday season can bring hope to those in need. This year, give something that means something. Give a gift that can make a difference.

Visit redcross.org/gifts.

By Eric Alves, Regional Communications Specialist, American Red Cross of Northeast Ohio. Edited by Glenda Bogar, American Red Cross volunteer.

Families across Northeast Ohio are preparing to see family and friends and celebrate the start of the holiday season around the dinner table. We’re  dreaming of turkey, pumpkin pie and football. While this time of year is exciting, our homes do not always look like a Norman Rockwell painting. It tends to be chaotic. There are kids and pets running around, aunts and uncles from across the country trying to get your attention and people enticed by the aromas trying to steal a taste of turkey. All this chaos can be overwhelming and distracting, which is why each year Thanksgiving is one of the leading days for home cooking fires.

Here are from 10 tips from the American Red Cross to help you protect yourself and your family from home fires:

1. Install a smoke alarm near your kitchen, on each level of your home, inside bedrooms and outside sleeping areas. Use the test button to check it each month. Replace all batteries at least once a year if your smoke alarm requires it.
2. Consider purchasing a fire extinguisher to keep in your kitchen. Contact your local fire department to take training on the proper use of extinguishers.
3. While cooking, don’t wear loose clothing or sleeves that dangle.
4. If you are frying, grilling or broiling food, never leave it unattended—stay in the kitchen. If you leave the kitchen for even a short period of time, turn off the stove. Unattended cooking is the leading cause of cooking fires.
5. If you’re simmering, baking, roasting or broiling food, check it regularly.
6. Use a timer to remind yourself that the stove or oven is on.
7. Keep kids and pets away from the cooking area. Make them stay at least three feet away from the stove.
8. Keep anything that can catch fire—pot holders, oven mitts, wooden utensils, paper or plastic bags, food packaging, towels or curtains—away from your stove, oven or any other appliance in the kitchen that generates heat.
9. Clean cooking surfaces on a regular basis to prevent grease buildup.
10. Always check the kitchen before going to bed or leaving home to make sure all stoves, ovens, and small appliances are turned off.

Bonus Tip:

Download the American Red Cross First Aid App. The app provides users with quick, expert advice on what to do in case of an emergency.

As you continue to prepare for an enjoyable and festive holiday, here is a video on holiday cooking safety tips you can watch with your family and friends so that everyone, especially little ones, remains safe:

From everyone at the Red Cross of Northeast Ohio, we wish you and yours a very happy and safe Thanksgiving!