The Red Cross Montana Region operates emergency shelters when wildfires force evacuations and responds to home fires, flooding, and severe winter weather statewide. Blood donor centers run in Billings, Missoula, Great Falls, and Helena. This page explains how to give blood or money, become a volunteer, and reach help after a disaster.
Montana's wildfire seasons have grown more severe and now start earlier. From 2017 through the mid-2020s, significant fires burned hundreds of thousands of acres annually, forcing evacuations and destroying structures in rural and peri-urban areas. When evacuations happen, the Montana Region opens emergency shelters and provides immediate assistance to displaced households.
Home fires, flooding, and severe winter weather round out the response calendar. If you have been displaced by any disaster in Montana, call 1-800-RED-CROSS for shelter and immediate help.
Donor centers operate in Billings, Missoula, Great Falls, and Helena, with mobile drives reaching smaller communities. Appointments are typically available within days at most Montana chapters.
Schedule at redcrossblood.org or by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS. In a state this large, blood collected locally is what keeps rural hospitals stocked without long supply runs.
Money given at redcross.org funds shelter operations, emergency supplies, and recovery assistance, and it can be deployed the day a fire breaks out. Disaster volunteers complete several weeks of training before responding, so applications submitted in winter or spring produce trained responders by fire season.
For rebuilding-focused giving after major fires, the Montana Community Foundation maintains vetted disaster funds. Those grants address the longer community recovery that begins after the Red Cross's emergency phase winds down.
Check the organization in the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search at apps.irs.gov, review its Charity Navigator profile, and keep written acknowledgments for donations of $250 or more.
Sources: American Red Cross — Montana Region official site (redcross.org); our Montana charity guide research. Retrieved July 2026. We are not affiliated with American Red Cross — Montana Region and receive no compensation for this listing. Spotted an error? [email protected]
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