Sonia Salas was only three years old in October when a fire forced her and her family from their home in the middle of the night. Frightened and cold the girl and her family watched outside their Waterloo apartment building as firefighters battled the blaze. With no food to eat, no place to call home they felt helpless and alone.

Then the American Red Cross arrived. Volunteers from the Disaster Action Team met with Sonia’s family and the seven other families displaced by the fire to assess their immediate needs. They gave the little girl and her neighbors money to buy clothes, food and medication. Most importantly, they brought back her smile and gave her family hope.

For the next four days, caseworkers from the Red Cross worked with Sonia’s mom to make sure she and her other children had food and shelter. Volunteers even met with the little girl, her family and her neighbors at a community meeting, where they could offer resources for the future. The families and Red Cross volunteers were together when the good news came: everyone could return to their apartment building. All repairs were made.

This little girl was just one of the thousands of local residents who received Red Cross assistance when their home was damaged or destroyed by a fire. All assistance was free, provided by the generosity of donors like you.

It is your donation that helps little girls like Sonia Salas, and it will be your generosity that will help thousands of children like her---scared and lost after a disaster, without a bed to sleep in or food to eat. Your financial donation allows the Red Cross to respond to more than 500 disasters a year. Please give generously.