As published in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Hazelwood-Bridgeton Journal, Independent News, North County Journal, Northeast County Journal, Northwest County Journal, O'Fallon Journal, Overland-St. Ann Journal, St. Peters Journal, St. Louis Metro Evening Whirl, and Wentzville Journal .

Dear Editor:

During this Thanksgiving season, we say thanks to the community for continued, generous support of American Red Cross programs and services.

Thanks to you, the Red Cross is making a positive impact in helping people prevent, prepare for and respond to emergencies and disasters. Thanks to you, Red Cross workers touch the community more than 410,000 times each year, training people in lifesaving first aid and CPR, emergency preparedness, water safety and more. We do this while responding to emergencies, including the three families a day who lose their homes to house fires and the thousands of military service members and families who access Red Cross emergency communications. In addition, we work diligently to maintain a safe and healthy blood supply by collecting 300,000 units of blood to support as many as 120 hospitals.

We extend a special thanks to the community for the incredible teamwork following the severe windstorms and heat wave back in July. For more than a week, hundreds of Red Cross volunteers worked tirelessly, partnering with emergency management and many area agencies to shelter more than 750 area residents and serve more than 75,000 meals and snacks.

It is our honor to serve this community through the American Red Cross. Because the Red Cross is not a government agency, we depend on the generosity of our volunteers, financial contributors and blood donors. To all who support the Red Cross, we extend our sincere gratitude and appreciation.

Best regards for a safe and healthy Thanksgiving holiday,

Joseph C. White
Chief Executive Officer
American Red Cross St. Louis Area Chapter

David A. Chumley
Chief Executive Officer
Missouri-Illinois Blood Services Region