MORE ways to help MOORE Oklahoma

In light of the recent tragedy in Oklahoma I've decided to create a post about the ways we as regular citizens can help those who were affected. Now for me being in health care I would have loved to just jump up and travel to help those with whatever medical help was needed, but that isn't always possible especially for me. So what are some ways I could help without traveling to Oklahoma? Well when I was growing up we lived in an area where wildfires were a huge concern especially this time of year and into the summer, my mom still lives there and wildfires still happen, however last summer wildfires hit closer to my home when a large one hit the mountains around a town about 1 1/2 -2 hours from where I live. At work we brought in water, food, blankets, clothes, ect to send up to the victims. Now I'm still a broke new grad so I couldn't really donate money or go out and buy a bunch of stuff to donate so I cleaned. I will be moving at the end of the summer and needed to thin out my moving load any way so I cleaned my closet and dresser out, over filling two large laundry baskets with clothes and shoes, I also have blankets and bedding that will be going with. I didn't wear the clothes any more and haven't in a while, the bedding has been in my closet for well over a year untouched, and the shoes haven't been worn in longer than I can remember. I will be taking all the stuff to my local red cross later in the week.

So what are some ways you can help? Well here is my list with ideas of what you can do.

~If you can afford it a donation of $10 will help provide food, shelter, ect to the victims. You can donate by texting REDCROSS to 90999 or call 1-800-RED CROSS, you can always donate more if you are able to.

~Donate blood! With major events like this blood and blood products become a valuable resource that is already difficult to get a hold of. With the number of injured increasing and the hospitals in the area stretching their resources they can always use blood! If you are blood type O I highly encourage you to donate blood, its highly valuable and greatly appreciated.

~Donate clothes, bedding, ect. A lot of these families will have lost everything they have that includes things like basic tshirts, jeans, jackets, shoes, socks! clean out your closet (kid's closets too) and donate things that you or your kids no longer wear, fit, or you just don't want. It can be time consuming but in the end you will feel really good and de-cluttered. Bedding you no longer need, blankets, towels, even dog beds will always be used. Remember some of these people lost everything! If you have kids that have old but still good toys those will be welcomed, events like this are very traumatizing for children.

~Donate food and water if you have a large pantry with tons of can food in it you don't really eat, donate it! Canned foods and other nonperishable (nothing that can go bad quickly like fresh or frozen foods) along with bottled water are so valuable during times like this. Gallons of water can go a long way, especially for families. Other things people may not always think of are dog/cat food, laundry detergent, diapers or other supplies for children.

~If you near the area contact the red cross and see what you can do, you can also contact other local organizations and see if they need anything. I don't live close enough to do this but if your near Oklahoma please consider this option. Sometimes its a simple as needing someone to volunteer at the animal shelter to help manage the pets until their owners can come for them or helping to clean up debris from the streets.

Remember that you don't need to do something huge and amazing to make a difference. The smallest action like giving blood can save a life, and any donation (monetary, clothing, food, blood, ect) will be beyond appreciated by the victims and the organization. If you can I encourage you to help!!