“The need for blood every year is in demand. Patients who have blood disorder require blood on a regular basis, as well as those who are acutely ill,” said Lenny Navarro from the Local Congregation of Mountain View, who is the Christian Medical Dental and Paramedical Society (CMDPS) district president of the Ecclesiastical District of Northwest California.

Cognizant of this, the district’s CMDPS, in collaboration with the Felix Y. Manalo Foundation, Inc., held blood donation drives to be of help to those in need. On various dates, from September to the first week of October, brethren from different local congregations volunteered as blood donors. They made sure to follow health and safety protocols throughout these events.

The sites were set up in different parts of California, namely, Mountain View (September 4), Alameda and San Jose (September 19), Antioch (September 25), Fremont (September 26), and Brisbane (October 2).

“I always donate blood, for 35 years [now] since I was in the Philippines,” said Elvira Haugley, from the Local Congregation of San Francisco.  “If you donate blood, you can help a lot of people, especially those who are in need. I feel pretty good, because I help ... for restoring their life,” she explained.

“As the Bible says, help out our fellow man in whatever way we can. This is one of the best ways we can; by donating blood we can help many lives,” said AJ Cajulao, a blood donor from the Local Congregation of Burlingame.

On behalf of the district, Brother Romeo Anthony Peña, district Christian Family Organizations (CFO) overseer, said, “We are so grateful to the Church Administration for approving these activities [which] really show how much the Church Administration leads the Church Of Christ in looking out for our fellowmen.” — With reports from INC News Section