Farmington, CT -- 2022 has been a year of crisis for families in Connecticut and around the world — from extreme climate disasters to global emergencies like the conflict in Ukraine to the first-ever national American Red Cross blood crisis.

“Whether a crisis is felt by an entire community or a single person, it turns lives upside down — especially for the most vulnerable,” said Mario Bruno, CEO, American Red Cross Connecticut and Rhode Island Region. “This holiday season, join us to provide help and hope for people in need during future emergencies by making a financial donation or by giving blood.”

On Giving Tuesday and during the holidays, visit www.redcross.org to make a financial donation or an appointment to give blood for patients in the U.S.

RESPONDING TO DISASTERS OF ALL SIZES This year’s extreme disasters in the U.S. are clear examples of the increasing frequency and intensity of the climate crisis. So far in 2022, 15 billion-dollar disasters have upended lives across the country — more than twice the number of billion-dollar disasters that struck annually two decades ago.

In Connecticut, hundreds of Red Cross volunteers provided relief and comfort after home fires and other local disasters to help ensure no one faces a crisis of any size alone. They also traveled to major disaster operations around the country to provide help and hope after hurricanes, floods and wildfires.

HELPING FAMILIES AFFECTED BY GLOBAL EMERGENCIES Internationally, the conflict in Ukraine has forced millions of people to flee for their lives. With such vast needs, the American Red Cross has provided financial donations and international crisis responders to support the global Red Cross network’s response on the ground, which spans more than a dozen neighboring countries to deliver food, shelter, medical care, emotional support and other critical aid for displaced families.

Meanwhile, the American Red Cross has also provided financial support to the ongoing hunger crisis in Africa. Overall this year, as part of the world’s largest humanitarian network, the American Red Cross provided humanitarian aid in more than 108 countries.

OVERCOMING THE FIRST-EVER RED CROSS BLOOD CRISIS In January 2022, the Red Cross experienced its worst national blood shortage in over a decade, due to ongoing collection challenges and varied hospital demand during the pandemic. Patients in need of lifesaving blood transfusions relied on an outpouring of support from hundreds of thousands of generous blood donors to overcome the crisis.

Beyond national headlines, the need for blood is constant, as one in seven patients entering a hospital will need a blood transfusion. Every day, Red Cross blood donors are the lifeline for car accident victims, parents with complicated childbirths, individuals battling cancer and people with sickle cell disease. Make an appointment to give blood or platelets this holiday season by visiting www.RedCrossBlood.org.

Visit www.redcross.org/CT for more information about how the American Red Cross in Connecticut helped people in 2022.