Blood, the liquid of life that we all need no matter what race, creed or hometown we claim, is always needed. A host of blood drives pop up frequently around the county, constantly chasing to close in on the ever-increasing gap of blood shortages. 

The American Red Cross continues to face its wide-spread National blood shortage. Because of this incessant lack of necessary blood, it is never a bad time to give. Additionally, due to the various types of blood, not one person or group of people is enough.

Outside of the county, it seems countless weather related disasters have dominated neighboring counties, states and even countries. Water-related disasters like floods and droughts have been on national news almost daily. This summer has been stained globally by terrors.

One storm in the spotlight right now is Idalia, which slammed into the Southeast and has led to widespread power shortages, travel hazards and many other dangerous conditions — leaving the need to skyrocket that much more.

For many, this nightmare is extended unnecessarily by a lack of blood supply that is crucial in the recovery process for both people and their communities.

The ending of the summer season saw a huge drop in blood supply, as August was a tough month for donations as well, falling short of roughly 30,000 donations that would have gone to sustaining some of these tragedies.

To see a complete listing of donation locations throughout the county coming up in the next few weeks, please see page 2A in this edition, or contact the Red Cross for further information.

Your gift could mean the difference of life and death for those most in need of blood — and appreciation for such is in the comfort of knowing you helped your neighbor, as well as a number of prizes available while supplies last. These include limited edition Red Cross T-shirts, as well as a free haircut from Sports Clips haircuts and entry to additional raffle prizes. 

Please consider donating the gift of life!