As their way of commemorating the 140th birth anniversary of Brother Felix Y. Manalo, whom members of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church Of Christ) believe as God’s Messenger in these last days, brethren from the Ecclesiastical District of Northeast California participated in a blood donation drive on May 9, 2026.

Sponsored by the Felix Y. Manalo (FYM) Foundation and in partnership with Vitalant, a nonprofit blood service provider, the said humanitarian effort was held at the parking lot of the house of worship of the Local Congregation of Sacramento, where two Vitalant mobile buses were parked to conduct blood donations.

Out of 59 registered participants, 50 qualified as blood donors after the health screenings, 41 of whom as whole blood donations and the remaining 9 as power red donations. First-time blood donors counted to 13.

A total of 58 units of blood were collected, which will help as many as 174 patients of the nearby hospitals, the intended beneficiaries, according to Vitalant account manager, Christine Chavez.

“As members of the Church Of Christ, we value community service. We want to show that we care for other people. We care for the love of brotherhood,” said regular blood donor, Gilda Ligaya, a deaconess and finance officer from Sacramento Congregation. “I feel fulfilled, and that’s because it saves people’s lives,” she added.

“The Church Of Christ helps take care of the community, such as this donating of blood,” said Carolann Theiss, an FYM Foundation volunteer from Sacramento Congregation. “We’re hopeful that the community feels that.”

“The members of the Church Of Christ are always taught by the Church Administration the teachings of God, among which is to love one another, including our neighbors,” said Brother Wilfredo Santos, assistant district supervising minister. “The brethren have that kind of spirit—doing everything we can to be of help to those who are in need. That’s why we’re always willing to participate and be involved in activities like this.” — With reports from Nimrod Pantaleon