NATCHEZ — The old saying is, “you don’t know what you have until it’s gone,” but sometimes, you might not know what you have until you need it.

The American Red Cross Capital River Chapter Natchez branch provided approximately $35,000 in amenities like lodging, food, clothing and medication in the 2010-2011 fiscal year to roughly 370 individuals in the Natchez area, Office Coordinator Debra Davis said at Wednesday’s annual meeting.

Mayor Jake Middleton said he’s going to work to make sure people recognize how much the Red Cross helps people.

“Nobody thinks about you until something happens, and then they kind of expect you to be there,” he said at the meeting.

Since the Red Cross doesn’t receive federal funding and is 100-percent dependent on donations, Davis said, it’s up to the agency and its board to make sure they work toward raising money to aid others.

In the 2010-2011 fiscal year, the Natchez Red Cross raised more than $46,000 in donations — a $10,000 increase from the year before.

“We did a lot more fundraisers and specific events that in the past haven’t been part of the Red Cross,” Davis said.

Through the Hero Campaign, a number of businesses came together and set a goal to raise $1,000 or more for the Red Cross, she said, and that was mainly done in March.

Most of the money the Natchez Red Cross raised this year went toward house fire relief, Davis said, but Adams County Emergency Management Director Stan Owens pointed out that there are several situations in which the Red Cross would be needed.

In the U.S. list of the top 25 tornadoes — which hasn’t yet been updated to include tornados in the past months, like the ones in Alabama and Joplin, Mo. — Natchez held the number two spot for an 1840 tornado and the 19th spot for a 1908 tornado.

“It’s not a matter of if a tornado will strike, it’s a matter of when,” he said.

Davis said the Red Cross is a “humanitarian organization” that’s led by volunteers to provide relief to victims after a disaster.

“What’s so amazing is to just stand back and watch the Red Cross and other emergency organizations work,” Middleton said.

“It gives you a feeling that’s hard to describe.”

The Red Cross is always accepting volunteers, and those interested should contact the Natchez office at 601-442-3656. For more information about Red Cross, visit redcross.org.