Let me give a big shout out to some of the other disaster response organizations that don't always get recognition unless you've seen them in action, or received their assistance: the Southern Baptists operate massive field kitchens to feed everyone, and there are probably a dozen other organizations that do it as well even if not to the same extent. The Salvation Army is huge in terms of recovering people to their pre-disaster state by doing things like sorting clothing and providing it to folks affected by disasters. There are lots of great people who get their hands dirty mucking out flooded houses or rebuilding structures, again all labor free of charge. In fact there are so many good people who just jump in and do the hard work, in my mind it tends to eclipse what we in the Red Cross can do. The Red Cross couldn't do what it does without all these other organizations. We have a formal role granted by the federal government (without any govt funds to go along with it) to restore housing and sheltering folks after disasters, but we could never do it alone. The volunteer effort is certainly very strong in America.

Funny you mention gourmet chocolates - a fellow volunteer put Theo's Chocolates on shelter cots belonging to kids after a local apartment fire. Strictly speaking I suppose it would have been better to have enough chocolates for every shelter resident, but given the focus on kids put out by fires, no one raised the issue.