Having gone through the closing of our Freeborn County Red Cross office, I can understand how Mower County volunteers must feel to see their chapter closing, too. But the consolidation does not mean the American Red Cross is disappearing from our communities. Disaster response teams remain the same, and we have our same disaster specialist, Eric Adams, who has been at the Freeborn-Mower office for some months. As working remotely becomes easier, there is less need for numerous brick-and-mortar offices. The American Red Cross wants to make the best use of donor dollars, and I, for one, would rather see them spent on our core mission of helping others. My husband and I will continue to volunteer for the Red Cross in whatever way we can, and hope others will do so as well.

Cathy Porter

Albert Lea