Duracell partners with the American Red Cross

The Duracell Company, along with Tide's Loads of Hope, has been working side-by-side with the American Red Cross in Cobleskill. “We have had a steady flow of citizens coming to us for batteries.  So far we have given out over 100 cases of “D” batteries and the need continues to exist,” said Eric Cannon of Duracell.

Duracell has had a great partnership with the Red Cross, particularly in determining “where the need is greatest.” One of the considerations in deciding where to send the Duracell truck is determining where access to the truck, Loads of Hope and the Red Cross is greatest: “We don’t want to set up a truck in an area that is protected by the National Guard. If the Guard is not permitting outside citizens to enter a particular town, we won’t set up our truck. It is important that Duracell, Loads of Hope and the American Red Cross are accessible by the greatest population,” said Cannon.

One of the difficulties with the Hurricane Irene operation is that the footprint of the storm was so large; it was difficult to immediately determine where to send the Duracell truck.  Cannon also pointed out that the Red Cross was having a significant and positive impact in Cobleskill; the people in that region seemed to really appreciate what the Red Cross volunteers were providing.