The American Red Cross has historically loaned a helping hand to residents and emergency officials when disaster strikes.

In fact, the nonprofit's website proclaims it responds to around 70,000 natural and man-made disasters each year from fires to hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, hazardous material spills, transportation accidents and explosions.Since Sept. 13, however, the organization has been in the unique position of supporting hundreds of law enforcement officials searching for Eric Frein, the 31-year-old Monroe County man suspected of killing one state trooper and seriously injuring another."This is a little bit of an unusual situation in terms of what people normally think about when they think about Red Cross support, but we feel it ties to our mission," said Peter Brown, Red Cross regional chief executive officer. "Those troopers are out there to ensure public safety."Each day, between eight and 16 Red Cross volunteers have worked eight-hour shifts during which they mostly provide food and drinks to troopers.According to Brown, the organization is providing over 1,500 meals a day."We've had support from over 100 different restaurants in Pike, Monroe, Wayne, Lackawanna and Luzerne counties," Brown said. "We've even seen some donations, in the form of food or financial support, from Susquehanna and Wyoming counties."In many cases, restaurants are donating food, which the Red Cross heats and gives to the troopers."We are serving at specific sites and also providing meals that can be delivered into the field," Brown said.The Red Cross got involved at the request of the state police."We started up at a church in Pike County, close to the Blooming Grove barracks, where the shooting happened," Brown said. "When the search area has moved, we have moved also. What we try to do is give troopers a place where they can sit down for a few minutes to have a cup of coffee and chat with someone about things in life, not just about what is going on with the manhunt."Early in the search, the Red Cross had an expanded role as it provided shelter for residents who couldn't get to their home due to roadblocks. It also provided meals for troopers attending the funeral of Cpl. Bryon Dickson.The search is now in its second month, creating another challenge for everyone involved."When you respond to a hurricane, the storm hits and you know you'll be doing certain things for a certain amount of time," Brown said. "This situation is unknown. We hope every day that this comes to a conclusion."When the manhunt does come to an end, Brown said the Red Cross plans to acknowledge all who helped out."We are tracking all the individuals and businesses who are donating and we'll be doing a very public thank-you when the effort is complete," he said.In the meantime, the Red Cross is accepting financial contributions to its disaster relief fund.Donations can be made online at

www.redcross.org."State troopers from every barracks in the state have been assisting with this search," Brown said. "No matter where you're located in the state, someone from your town or your region has been helping and we are in turn trying to help them."