Sheltering our Buffalo neighbors

Last month, we opened up a shelter to house 21 Congo natives who were displaced by a fire that ravaged their Main Street home.  Because of the unique situation of our Congolese clients, our local partnerships were a great help to us.  With the help of interpreters we were able to communicate back and forth with our clients to make sure that all of their emergency needs were being met while two of our corporate sponsors, Gr8 Pizza and Danny’s Restaurant, helped make sure that all of our clients were fed.

Photo courtesy of the FEMA photo library

As we look back, we were able to provide:

·         Over 1,125 meals

·         Over 981 hours of “volunteer-powered” service

o   There were Chapter staff and volunteers at the shelter at all times to make sure that all of the emergency needs of our clients were being met

·         Clothing for 21 people

·         13 nights at the shelter

o   Additional days of lodging until we could find an apartment for one of the families

·         Assistance in obtaining 3 apartments

Without the support from our community, we would not have been able to respond as effectively as we did for these 21 clients or the hundreds of other families that we aid ever year.  If you would like to help support us here at the Chapter so that we can continue to provide emergency services to the Buffalo community, please visit us online to learn about various giving opportunities.

If you would like to become a part of our Disaster Action Team that responds to local disasters, please contact Amanda Campbell at campbellama@usa.redcross.org or 716.878.2364.