By Alana Mauger

In a world of hashtag activism, #GivingTuesday has become a post-Thanksgiving tradition, much like Black Friday. Founded in 2012 on a simple idea of doing something good, the day has grown into an international movement. Today, people around the world will use their individual power of generosity to support their communities.

For the American Red Cross, GivingTuesday provides an opportunity to come together on one day to support humanitarian needs in our community. A look back at our home fire response over the Thanksgiving holiday – when Red Cross volunteers assisted 56 people over only five days – illustrates the urgency of this need.

Your tax-deductible gift can help ensure that no one is left alone in the face of an emergency. For example:

• A gift of $25 can provide 5 warm blankets to protect children and families from the cold and help them sleep comfortably in emergency shelters.

• A gift of $50 can provide a hot meal and snacks to 50 people after a disaster.

• A gift of $145 can provide 20 comfort kits filled with toiletries and other essential items to military service members and veterans in medical facilities to help them feel at home.

• A gift of $160 can provide a crib and infant care supplies, including formula and diapers, to a family recovering from a disaster.

• A gift of $250 can provide a full day of emergency shelter for 5 people, including 3 meals, 2 blankets, 1 cot, snacks and personal hygiene supplies.

• A gift of $500 can 4 families with a complete emergency kit, which provides a family of five with hygiene supplies, blankets, tarps, water containers, a kitchen set and a crank-powered radio, lamp and charger.

Your donation to help where it’s needed most will enable the Red Cross to continue delivering its lifesaving mission – both today and the future. Visit https://www.redcross.org/donate/giving-tuesday.html/ to get started.

In addition to monetary gifts, the Red Cross has an emergency need for blood and platelet donors to help ensure patients have access to lifesaving treatments as they recover from illness and injury. Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood – a mother giving birth, a child with cancer, a neighbor who was in a car accident and countless others. Yet, as a result of low blood donor turnout in recent months, the Red Cross is heading into the holidays with its lowest blood supply in more than a decade at this time of year. Visit rcblood.org/appt to schedule an appointment.