No one knows where disaster will strike, but it's a given that when it does, the American Red Cross will be there.
But beyond collecting blood and responding to emergencies, the Red Cross also strives to prepare people for emergencies before they happen.
With that goal in mind, the Louisville Area Chapter of the Red Cross launched its Pick-A-Pack to Prepare program last week. Through the program, co-sponsored by WAVE-TV and Kroger, the Red Cross is selling backpack emergency starter kits.
The red backpacks - which contain things such as a flashlight, batteries, a first aid kit, light sticks and a water container - are $24.95 each and are available at 39 Kroger stores in Kentucky and southern Indiana.
"We want to make sure that individuals and families are prepared to take care of themselves until organizations can get there to help," said Logan McCulloch, chief development officer for the Louisville Red Cross.
The backpacks are not completely full, and shoppers may pick up a list of other suggested emergency items to add to them - such as duct tape, non-perishable foods and toilet paper - at Pick-A-Pack store displays, which feature a life-size cutout of WAVE-TV meteorologist and program spokesperson John Belski.
While Pick-A-Pack is a local initiative, McCulloch said it is part of the Red Cross's national Together We Prepare program, which aims to educate families and individuals on emergency preparedness by teaching them how to make an emergency plan, build an emergency kit, seek out first aid training, volunteer with the Red Cross and give blood.
"We want to train several hundred thousand people in Together We Prepare in the next years and help Kentuckiana become the safest and best-prepared community in America," said McCulloch.
The Louisville Red Cross covers 10 counties and is the 18th largest chapter in the country. All proceeds from Pick-A-Pack will be reinvested locally in Together We Prepare, said McCulloch.
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