“Mission Leaders like State Farm are vital to our work, helping drive innovation across our organization, providing capacity to respond immediately in times of crisis," said Cliff Holtz, president and CEO of the American Red Cross. “I am grateful for their support, which safeguards our ability to care for those in need when the unthinkable happens."

State Farm has a long history of providing grants to non-profits after disaster strikes a community. This new approach to pre-fund grants before disaster strikes aims to help provide streamlined and immediate support of disaster relief efforts. The goal of pre-funding is to support non-profit preparedness, relief and recovery efforts for communities and families impacted by disasters big and small – including hurricanes, floods, home fires and countless other crises – as efficiently and timely as possible. 

“Being a good neighbor is at the heart of the State Farm mission,” said Apsara Sorensen, State Farm Corporate Responsibility Assistant Vice President. “State Farm is committed to helping individuals and families manage the risks of everyday life and recover from the unexpected. We extend this commitment to the neighborhoods we serve by providing resources and collaborating with nonprofit organizations with a history of disaster response, providing immediate relief and vital necessities during times of need.”

"This proactive support ensures that Midwest Food Bank is ready to respond swiftly when natural disasters strike. Thanks to their commitment, we can bring hope and help to those in need, demonstrating the power of partnership in action," said Lisa Martin, CFO of Midwest Food Bank.

According to Ethan Forhetz, Convoy of Hope VP of Public Engagement, "This grant ensures that Convoy disaster response teams will stand ready to deliver hope to those whose lives have been turned upside down.” 

On average, the American Red Cross responds to more than 60,000 disasters every year, the vast majority of which are home fires. Home fires are not only the most common disaster, but they are also deadly—claiming seven lives every day. Unlike natural disasters, home fires are largely preventable through fire safety education and preparedness.

Pledge to Prepare consists of two steps:

• Practice a 2-minute fire drill at least twice a year
• Test smoke alarms monthly

The Pledge to Prepare site has a downloadable escape plan worksheet which can help families draw out and plan for escape from each room in the house. The site also has step-by-step instructions on how to test smoke alarms and what to do if smoke alarms are not working.

State Farm paid $2.2 billion on nearly 36,000 claims for home fires in 2020.

“As a company, our mission is to help people manage the risks of everyday life,” said John Burns, Operations Vice President – Fire Claims. “The collaboration between State Farm and American Red Cross on Pledge to Prepare will help spread awareness about steps to diminish the impact of a home fire. It’s another way we are helping communities prepare for the unexpected.”

Please join us by taking the pledge to keep you and your loved ones safe!

Unfortunately, many blood drives have been canceled due to shut-downs . This has impacted the Red Cross’s ability to collect donations. Daily, 13,000 blood donations and more than 2,600 platelet donations are needed to supply patients at hospitals and transfusion centers across the country.

You Can Help

Summer is traditionally a difficult time to collect enough blood to meet patient needs. Accidents, medical emergencies and chronic blood conditions don’t take a break. Patients need blood every day. The blood supply must be continuously replenished to help prevent shortages during the coming weeks and months.

State Farm® has hosted American Red Cross blood drives for the past 25 years. Our employees have rolled up their sleeves and donated 45,694 units of blood at State Farm-sponsored drives since 1997.

State Farm invites all our neighbors to join us and the American Red Cross on the SleevesUp Campaign. Visit the State Farm SleevesUp page to make a pledge to give blood and schedule an appointment in your area. Make sure to tell your family and friends.

She donated blood for the first time last year following a harrowing experience with her husband, Kenneth Brooks.

Kenneth was feeling under the weather and could not get an appointment to see his doctor for six weeks.

“We were just waiting on the appointment,” Amy says. “One night, I heard a crash and found my husband on the bathroom floor having some type of seizure. The thought of losing my husband… I lost it.”

She called 911, and her husband was conscious before they arrived, but still wasn’t right. After getting her daughters placed with a neighbor, Amy met her husband at the emergency room.

“I explained the seizure. After several hours, I stepped out of his room. When I came back, it looked like a bomb had gone off. There were things thrown everywhere. He had another seizure,” she says.

After running blood work and doing scans, they found the problem: a bleeding stomach ulcer.

“Normally, when you have a bleeding ulcer, you show signs. We had no indication,” Amy says. “His blood count was really low, so they immediately got blood for him.”

When receiving blood, as long as it’s the same type (A, B, AB or O), your body will accept it. But Kenneth needed a lot of blood.

“It wasn’t his exact blood type, so his body was rejecting it. We called the Red Cross and they typed his specific blood type, but couldn’t find any donations available. They said it could take two or three days,” Amy says.

The doctors couldn’t get the bleed to stop and they had to pump the new blood out. Kenneth was put on a ventilator and sedated.

“It was hard knowing I had to wait for something you would think would be so simple, that gives life so easily,” Amy says.

At the 25^th hour, they found an exact match.

“I’ve never been so relieved. We did a little happy dance.”

It’s been a year, and Kenneth is still recovering.

“Eventually, we got the ulcer fixed. They had to remove half of his stomach because they couldn’t stop the bleeding. Losing that much blood, people don’t realize how much weaker you get. He’s still not 100 percent,” she says.

A few days after Kenneth’s recovery, Amy was leaving the hospital and saw an American Red Cross worker delivering blood to the hospital.

“I went up to him and I said, ‘It probably wasn’t you, but I’m going to thank you anyway. Because of people like you, my husband is still alive.’”

Amy had never given blood because of medical conditions she thought restricted her.

“I was wrong. I can donate as long as I’m healthy. The next time the Red Cross came to my office I invited my peers to donate in the name of my husband because they saved his life. It was nice to give back.

“You don’t think your life will change in an instant, but it can.”

State Farm^® is partnering with the American Red Cross Missing Types campaign for the second year. The campaign focuses on the need for blood by requesting people “fill in the missing types” of A, B, AB and O blood. Partners can promote the campaign by removing those letters from logos and communications. Schedule a donation to help fill in the missing types.

“My mom is 82 years old and her smoke detector was not working,” says Barb Fowler, Normal, Ill., resident. “She’s had a stroke since we made the appointment to get it installed. Now we want to get everything in order for her to come home and recover.”

Sound the Alarm home fire safety and smoke alarm installation events are part of the Home Fire Campaign with the American Red Cross. During a recent effort in Bloomington and Normal, Ill., volunteers worked alongside fire departments and other local groups to canvass at-risk neighborhoods to install free smoke alarms, replace batteries in existing alarms, educate families about fire prevention and safety and fundraise.

State Farm^® partners with the American Red Cross for the Sound the Alarm campaign to educate community members on fire safety while providing a free smoke alarm to help keep them safe in the future. State Farm has provided charitable support to the American Red Cross and chapters throughout the country for the past 30 years, totaling more than $37 million, including investing in the Annual Disaster Giving Program.

State Farm associates volunteered at 51 events in 17 states, installing 10,718 smoke alarms and making 4,853 homes safer this year.

“The video the firefighter presented during training and interactions we had with people throughout the event made me realize how starting a fire and causing mass destruction could happen quickly. But preventing and keeping our families, friends and people in our community safe is a duty for us all,” says Smit Shah, State Farm employee and volunteer.

This year, the American Red Cross' national efforts to install free smoke alarms and educate residents on fire safety have made more than 50,000 households safer. More than 120,000 smoke alarms were installed across more than 100 at-risk communities.

Bev Kilmartin, Normal resident, saw an ad in the local newspaper about the program.

“The batteries went out on my old smoke alarms, and I realized we’d had them for at least 10 years. When I replaced the batteries, I noticed it wasn’t working correctly, so I decided to call and make an appointment,” Bev says.

“As a widow, it gives me a sense of security,” she adds. “If there is this type of program available, we should take advantage of it.”

“Everyone we encountered was friendly and appreciated us coming to assist them with this task,” says Tim Trunnell, State Farm employee and volunteer. “It was a great way to give back to the community and have fun.”

Normal resident Joe Nicklin contacted the Red Cross for an installation appointment because he knew his smoke alarm wasn’t working properly.

“When I light a fire in my fireplace and smoke gets into the house, the alarm doesn’t go off. That made me feel anxious,” he says. “I sleep with a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machine, so I sleep pretty soundly. I needed some peace of mind.”

“After visiting the homes and installing alarms, it makes you realize how unaware people are of the importance of smoke alarms and how these inexpensive devices can help save a precious life,” Smit says.