On Feb. 9 and 11, Scotch Plains-Fanwood Red Cross Club accepted donations of disaster kit items to donate to the American Red Cross. The club was able to collect a lot of useful items that will help many people around the world. 

“We collected a bunch of items that can be compiled into a disaster kit,” co-president junior Audrey Gabbai of the SPF Red Cross club, said. “A few examples are wet wipes, flashlights, toothpaste and toothbrushes.”

This is the first year SPF Red Cross club has been at Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School, and it is perfect timing. With the pandemic and many other disasters occurring around the world during this difficult time, the club is somewhat limited, but there are still lots of ways for them to help. 

“The Red Cross is mostly community-based so through our school club we want to help as many people as we can,” Swati Bulusu, the advisor of SPF Red Cross club, said. “One of the main aspects of the Red Cross is blood donations. They conduct blood drives a lot which hasn’t been possible right now with the current scenario and the next major thing was a disaster kit.” 

However, this does not mean that the disaster kit drive is not equally as beneficial as the blood drives, particularly now.  

“Disaster kits are always important; somewhere in the world, someone needs something,” junior Brandon Melninsk, member of SPF Red Cross Club, said. “However, we also collected masks, hand-sanitizer and anything like that because of the pandemic.”

After all of the disaster kit items are collected and compiled by the club, they are distributed strategically by the American Red Cross based upon who needs them the most. 

“We just ask everyone to join our club and be a part of it so we can have more of these successful disaster kit item drives and, in the future, blood drives,” Bulusu said. 

A great way to help people in need, whether it is from the coronavirus or forest fires, is to join the SPF Red Cross Club. Their triumphant disaster kit item drive is just one of the many ways that they intend on helping people around the globe.