JONESVILLE, La. – Whenever people are left hurt or homeless by natural disasters, the American Red Cross is there – including faithful volunteers like Acie Murray Jr. of Jonesville.

In the last decade, Murray has been called to help victims of multiple hurricanes in Florida and North Carolina, tornadoes in Georgia and Louisiana and floods in Alabama and West Virginia – 17 disasters in all.

&uot;When you see people in such desperate conditions, it just does you good to help them,&uot;&160;Murray said.

Although Murray helps out any way he can, in the past he has specialized in mass care, or the feeding of large groups.

But on Dec. 29, he was called to Arkansas as a logistics volunteer, and he has been there ever since. From a base in Little Rock, he works almost non-stop to deliver food and supplies to shelters throughout that state. Those 32 shelters are housing about 300,000 people whose homes were left without power following three December ice storms.

&uot;I and the other volunteers on this crew specialize in ordering (supplies) and getting them to the shelters and kitchens,&uot;&160;Murray said in a telephone interview from Little Rock on Wednesday

&uot;We delivered to a shelter in Hot Springs day before yesterday,&uot; he added. &uot;We’ve sent trucks to Arkdelphia and Fort Smith and Pine Bluff.&uot;

Murray does not know when he will return to his Jonesville home, but he is committed to serving as long as it takes. &uot;This is something I&160;can do to help,&uot; he said.

Murray is part of a more than $1 million effort Red Cross is making to help the victims of 14 major and 13 minor disasters that happened in last month, said Connie Augustine, director of the Central Louisiana Chapter of the American Red Cross.

Murray and his wife also work with the Red Cross to help victims of fires and natural disasters in the Miss-Lou.

&uot;This chapter and the (chapter) in Natchez work closely together in situations like that,&uot; Murray said.