Amarillo, Texas residents Steve and Kathy McKaskey have service-oriented hearts. When wildfires swept through neighboring communities in the Texas Panhandle, Oklahoma and Kansas, they knew they couldn’t ignore the call to help those affected by the fires.

They walked into the American Red Cross office in Amarillo, received fast-track disaster responder training and were out in affected communities within 48 hours. On their second day of volunteering, the McKaskeys joined other Red Cross volunteers, distributing emergency supplies to Panhandle communities in need.

“The people we've met — everybody we have met — have been friendly, welcoming and helpful,” Steve said about his new role with the Red Cross. “The whole experience has just been incredible.”

The Red Cross is responding to wildfires across the Texas Panhandle, Oklahoma and Kansas. The Smokehouse Creek fire, the largest in Texas history, began on February 26 and quickly grew. It has burned more than one million acres in Texas and Oklahoma, leaving behind a scorched landscape, upending lives and destroying hundreds of homes.

Since shelters were opened for this disaster, the Red Cross and its partners had overnight stays for more than 53 residents in two emergency shelters. To date, more than 500 relief items, including comfort kits and other supplies, have been provided to people in need and nearly 400 households have been served.

"As a previous fire chief, I was always impressed with the people in the Red Cross and their mission, Steve said. “When the fires hit, we knew we needed to help out, and we could do that. So, I called the Red Cross, and they were on the spot and got us on board within hours, literally.”

Volunteers like the McKaskey’s are the backbone of the Red Cross. They respond to disasters big and small every day nationwide. To volunteer to support our neighbors affected by the wildfires in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas, visit https://rdcrss.org/3SZUUo4.