On this day in 1881 the American Red Cross was founded.

For more than 100 years, the American Red Cross has donated blood, time, money, food, medicine, and other forms of relief to people in need. Clara Barton, a Civil War nurse, helped found the organization after hearing about the Swiss-inspired International Red Cross movement while visiting Europe. She returned home to campaign for the formation of a group that would provide lifesaving services and relief during times of war and in times of disasters.

For 23 years, Barton headed up the Red Cross. During that time, the organization conducted its first domestic and overseas disaster relief efforts, providing aid to the U.S. military during the Spanish-American War. Since then the Red Cross has added first aid, water safety, and public health nursing programs. In World War II alone, the Red Cross recruited 104,000 nurses, shipped over 300,000 tons of supplies, and initiated a national blood program that collected 13.3 million pints of blood for use by the armed forces.

Organizations like the Red Cross provide vital services for people in need on a large-scale basis. They provide welcome care and relief for those who are hurting, hungry, or homeless because of war or a disaster. The kind of help they offer is basic and essential.

Jesus loved and cared for the poor and the sick, and his followers should also. We may not be able to travel across the country or to other parts of the world to help people in need like those in the Red Cross. But it won’t take too much time to find someone who has fundamental needs—food, clothing, medical help, or a place to stay—in your own community.

When we care for those around us in need, no matter how small or simple an act, it is as if we have given it directly to Jesus himself.

“I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me” (Matthew 25:40, The Message).

To do

Come up with a list of ideas of how you can become more involved in caring for others.

Also on this day . . .

Today is National Waiter/Waitress Day.

1819—The first bicycles in the United States were introduced in New York City.

1964—The first nuclear-powered lighthouse began operations at Chesapeake Bay.

From Betsy Schmitt and Dave Veerman, 365 Trivia Twist Devotions: An Almanac of Fun Facts and Spiritual Truth for Every Day of the Year (Cincinnati: Standard, 2005). Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation unless otherwise noted.