Volunteers, donations being sought locally for Hurricane Matthew

The American Red Cross is seeking volunteers to help with local disaster relief after Hurricane Matthew ripped through the Grand Strand last weekend.

So far in South Carolina, the Red Cross has mobilized more than 900 people and 70 response vehicles, which have provided 16,000 overnight shelter stays in 84 shelters, 50,000 meals and snacks and more than 2,100 health services contacts, accoridng to a press release sent by the Red Cross.

Volunteers are currently helping with sheltering, disaster assessment, bulk distribution and operational support. New volunteers are encouraged to visit RedCross.org/SC and click on volunteer to start their application.

Locally, trainings are being held daily at the Red Cross office in Myrtle Beach, 3531 Pampas Drive, from 9 a.m.-11:30 a.m. and then again from 4-6:30 p.m. To attend a training session, RSVP to Herdie Matthews at 843-945-3034 or Herdie.mathews@redcross.org.

Red Cross volunteer training is free and open to the public. A background check will be performed on every volunteer applicant.

The Red Cross depends on donations to provide immediate relief. Help people affected by Hurricane Matthew by visiting redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS or texting the word MATTHEW to 90999 to make a $10 donation. Donations enable the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from this disaster.

This story was originally published October 11, 2016 at 4:31 PM with the headline "Volunteers, donations being sought locally for Hurricane Matthew."