Peter and Brenda Simmons arrived on island as Typhoon Sinlaku swept northward away from our region, and they married couple immediately got to work helping our community. Loading up an a mini-van with hot meals was the order on this mission for volunteers in the familiar vests of the American Red Cross.

Brenda told KUAM News, "We're doing feeding at a local shelter that we're operating with. We have a little less than 300 people there - men, women, and children. So, we feed them different restaurants. Uh we pick up food from different restaurants and deliver it breakfast, lunch, and dinner. My husband and I are from Virginia."

The couple were on Harmon Loop Road picking up lunch for shelterees, making their way to the Yigo Gym, where they're detailed at the Tier II public shelter. Over the course of each of the first 3 days of recovery, they picked-up between 300 to 350 meals a day from King's.

Peter noted, "Well, they're very nice people. They work with us. As soon as we bring the food in, they ask, 'Can I help you? Can I help you?' They help us unload the car. So they're very easy and nice to work with."

"Oh, the people are wonderful," Brenda echoed. "They're all so, so appreciative of anything we do out here. They welcome us with open arms. I've seen any nobody complains, even when we're late."

They say despite hardships, frustrations and a long road ahead for some island neighbors in need, the signature Hafa Adai Spirit shines through, with Brenda saying, "In the shelter just this morning, we went to the shelter, had a load, the breakfasts, and and they unloaded all the breakfasts and opened up the packages, and everybody picked up trash. They get the children together to do some chores. We had 129 children out of 298."

Sinlaku is Peter and Brenda's second tour of duty on Guam, as they rushed out with the support team in 2023 after Typhoon Mawar. Coming from the US East Coast, they're experienced with island culture. They've been the boots on the ground for similar humanitarian missions. "My husband and I have been doing this for about 10 years now and we've done um a little less than 50 disasters. So, we've been to the US Virgin Islands and California and Texas and and Guam twice and Hawaii. So we go all over," she detailed.

And with food being social currency for our part of the world, the Red Cross is delivering much more than a comforting nourishment, they're delivering hope.

Peter said, "The clients, the people that live here, remember it's going to get better. It's going to get better. There's lots of help. There's lots of help from so many different churches and different departments and agencies; and the Army Reserves came by and helped us."

And finally, seeing total strangers going through tough times can take a toll on anybody. So it's the simple kindness that keeps Peter and Brenda going and sharpens their focus and that of the hundreds of Red Cross volunteers helping on Guam, to keep up their work. And to get the job done.

Brenda shared, "Well, when people are nice to us, I think when people are nice to say thank you. Have a nice day and that keeps us going."