August 25th, 2025, 1pm MDT
American Red Cross leaders toured the Bishop’s Welfare Square and the central storage of bishops in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, August 19th, learning more about how Latter-day Saints’ Church of Jesus Christ provides relief from disasters and hope at the moment when it comes to millions of people around the world.
Trevor Liggen, president of Humanitarian Services at the American Red Cross, and three colleagues in the organization’s Southwest and Rocky Mountain departments, began to learn more about the church’s ongoing work. The church hosts guide the warehouses and welfare squares, highlighting their efforts to support not only Latter-day saints, but people of all faiths and circumstances around the world.
Protecting care for those in need
Riggen emphasized how the church’s continued commitment can help the Red Cross respond quickly and extend critical care in emergencies. “We are deeply grateful for the heartfelt generosity of the Church that helps us protect our ability to care for those in need when something unthinkable happens,” he said.
The Church is the largest sponsor of blood-driven Red Cross in the United States. Since their first drive in 1996, Latter-day Saints have donated more than 1.3 million blood. This amounts to around 97,000 units per year during thousands of local events. Support from the church also funds mobile donor centres, community emergency vehicles, and critical biomedical equipment that maintain inventory on hospital shelves.
Brain Maxfield, managing director of church welfare and self-reliance services, said that over a century of collaboration between the church and the American Red Cross demonstrates a common commitment to lifting the burden and providing hope. “Whether it’s blood donation or disaster response, every act of service offers salvation, healing and hope to God’s children,” he said.
Humanitarian legacy
Today, their shared commitments continue through their focus on blood donation, financial gifts, volunteering and serving communities in crisis.
The August 19 visit comes days after the church announced a $5.1 million donation to support the Red Cross blood program. This includes equipment for new donor centres and initiatives to support patients with sickle cell disease. Earlier this year, the church also donated more than $1 million and in-kind donations to support relief efforts following the southern California wildfires and flooding in Carville, Texas.
Other monetary contributions to the Red Cross include $7.35 million in 2024 and $9.7 million in 2023. This amount includes $5.1 million in relief following the Maui wildfires and 10 years ago.
Important collaboration
Because of this consistent generosity, the Red Cross recognized the church in 2018 with its first “Mission Leader” Partnership Award, the highest level of organizational support. During his visit, Liggen repeated this designation.
“Mission Leaders like the Latter-day Saints’ Church of Jesus Christ are essential to the Red Cross, and we will drive our work through volunteer work, provide the ability to respond immediately in times of crisis and support life-saving blood services,” he said.
