Celebrate Volunteering: American Red Cross Month

March is American Red Cross Month — a time to celebrate the extraordinary contributions of volunteers who embody hope, courage, and compassion across the United States. In urban centers and rural communities alike, from crisis response to lifesaving blood services, Red Cross volunteers make a measurable difference in millions of lives every day.

Their work reflects a powerful principle: when neighbors lift each other up, resilience grows and community thrives.

At the heart of the American Red Cross mission are the people who give their time, skills, and care — not for recognition, but because they believe in helping others in their most vulnerable moments. Volunteers are more than helpers; they are the heartbeat of humanitarian impact across the nation.

What Volunteers Do

Volunteering with the American Red Cross opens opportunities to support lifesaving services that touch every corner of community life:

Disaster Response: Red Cross volunteers provide immediate support when emergencies strike — from home fires and floods to wildfires and hurricanes. They deliver shelter, food, emotional care, and practical assistance to individuals and families when their world has been turned upside down. In communities across the country in 2025, volunteers stood alongside neighbors to deliver comfort and hope when it mattered most.

Blood Services: Over 30,000 volunteers dedicated 1.4 million hours to support blood donors and ensure lifesaving blood products reached hospitals and patients who depend on them every day. More than 4,000 volunteer drivers traveled over 8 million miles delivering blood where it’s needed most.

Military and Veteran Support: Nearly 19,000 volunteers served active-duty military members, veterans and their families — offering care, connection, and vital resources across the U.S. and abroad.

International Humanitarian Work & Family Reconnection: Red Cross volunteers contributed thousands of hours educating communities about humanitarian principles and supporting programs like Restoring Family Links, helping families separated by disaster or conflict reconnect and heal.

Behind the Scenes Expertise: Professional volunteers bring skills in areas like communications, IT, finance, and translation to strengthen Red Cross operations and support more than 3,000 translation projects, ensuring essential materials are accessible across diverse communities.

Why People Volunteer

Volunteers come from all walks of life, united by a shared sense of purpose. For many, the most meaningful moments come from helping someone through their darkest hours — simple acts of kindness that restore dignity and hope. From long-time emergency responders to those who serve at blood drives or support educational programs, volunteers often say it’s the connection to others and the ability to make a real difference that keeps them coming back.

Whether you’re retired and looking for meaningful engagement, a student wanting hands-on experience, or someone seeking to give back in your community, American Red Cross volunteer opportunities offer flexibility and fulfillment for every schedule and skill set.

Become a Volunteer

This March, celebrate American Red Cross Month by exploring how you can become part of this inspiring movement of service. Learn how you can make a difference — from relief efforts to blood services, and beyond — by visiting our regional American Red Cross volunteer page: https://www.redcross.org/local/california/central-california/volunteer.html

You can also read about the powerful impact volunteers made in the past year in the American Red Cross Volunteer Services FY25 Year in Review: https://www.redcross.org/content/dam/redcross/volunteer/pdfs/SS_RED_CROSS_VOLUNTEERSERVICES_2025ANNUALREPORT_Final.pdf

Join the compassionate movement that turns care into action, one volunteer at a time.