Polina Ken searches through the ashes on her property. She saved almost nothing from the flames because she was outside watering down her home when she was told to evacuate, jumping in her car with only her phone and the clothes she was wearing after trying unsuccessfully to find her dog, Waldo.
What happened to Polina Ken one year ago on September 2, 2025, when a lightning-sparked fire turned her Chinese Camp home and almost everything she owned to ash and mangled metal, might lead some to self-pity.
Not Polina, who as a Cambodian refugee has had to rebuild her life from scratch more than once.
“I’m tough. I do anything to survive. I don’t give up,” Polina said after the fire.
“A little bit of physical work and a lot of satisfaction,” is how one American Red Cross volunteer describes his experience distributing emergency supplies after a disaster. It’s a simple description from Marcel Pajuelo-Schwartz, but it captures the heart of the distribution of emergency supplies volunteer role perfectly. The physical work comes from lifting and carrying buckets of essential items, while the satisfaction comes from knowing you have helped people in a real, hands-on way when they need it most.
Marcel, who lives in Daly City, Calif., has been a Red Cross volunteer since 1967. He has tried many volunteer roles over the years but he especially enjoys this one. His efforts to distribute emergency supplies play a critical role in helping individuals and families recover in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. His role is to provide items essential to basic survival, health and sanitation as quickly and equitably as possible to people whose homes and neighborhoods have been affected. These essential supplies may include flashlights, food coolers, buckets, shovels, masks, gloves, cleaning products and garbage bags — everything people need to begin cleaning up their yards and their homes after a disaster turns life upside down.
A wildfire near Santa Rosa, Calif. had forced more than 180,000 people to evacuate from their homes, and many would be looking for a place to stay. American Red Cross volunteers rushed to the Civic Center in San Rafael to open a shelter.
Red Cross volunteer Anna Lane at the North Coast Emergency Food System Partnership meeting in Hopland, Calif.
Volunteer Anna Lane arrived to see that electricity had been cut for the entire county, although there were generators to provide power on site. She recalls, “The shelter manager said to me, ‘Anna, we need breakfast things, coffee and food, something.’ So I go to the grocery store, but the grocery stores are locked down because they have no power. They can’t open the doors.
Michael donates blood at the Pleasanton Red Cross donation center, just a three-minute walk from his office at Simpson Strong-Tie.
The work of the American Red Cross would not be possible without the many volunteers and donors who selflessly continue to give their time and resources in support of the organization’s mission. Michael Weber is one of those supporters who has donated both blood and funds several times, exemplifying the values and company culture of his employer, Simpson Strong-Tie.
By Executive Director of Central Valley Chapter Lori Wilson
Lori Wilson (L) with Mayor Camacho (R).
CORRECTION (July 31, 2026): An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified Mayor Camacho of Saipan as former Mayor Carlos Camacho from Guam. The error has been corrected.
In July, I had the privilege of touring the island of Saipan with Mayor Camacho as an Elected Official Liaison (EOL), visiting families whose lives have been deeply affected by Typhoons Sinlaku and Bavi alongside him. As we went from home to home, we listened to their stories, learned about their most pressing needs and witnessed firsthand the remarkable resilience that continues to shine through despite so much loss and uncertainty.
When I first attended the American Red Cross Northern California Coastal Region’s Leadership Development Center (LDC) as a delegate during the summer of 2025, I thought it would simply be a one-time, four-day camp experience in the middle of nowhere surrounded by people I didn’t know. I never imagined I would come back to Redwood Glen Camp the following summer to help plan, coordinate and document as a staff member. When I applied, I wasn’t thinking that far ahead. I was just excited for the opportunity to meet new people and try something new. Looking back now, I’m grateful that LDC became so much more than a single camp experience and that each summer, I leave with much more than I could expect.
Your Red Cross Update 