If there were ever a time to celebrate blood donors, it’s during National Volunteer Month. With no substitute for blood and no way to manufacture it, volunteer blood donors are the definition of essential. And, over the past year, these heroes rolled up a sleeve to help ensure blood was available for patients across the country amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Healthy volunteer donors are needed every day to help keep the blood flowing for hospitals and patients that rely on a readily available blood supply. As a special thank you, those who come to give by April 30 will automatically be entered for a chance to win one of five $1,000 e-gift cards to a merchant of choice. Additional details are available at rcblood.org/Gift.

There are several options to give blood in Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties, including an upcoming event at the Church of Jesus Christ Latter-Day Saints in Oakdale. That blood drive is scheduled on Friday, April 16 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For more information, visit https://www.redcrossblood.org/.