WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah (ABC4) – Volunteers from the World Mission Society Church of God held a blood drive Sunday morning, Mar. 19, to help with the high need for blood donations across the country and in the state of Utah.

The Church of God partnered with the Red Cross to host an annual blood drive earlier today, with church members saying their desire to help stems from their religion.

“We’re a church that’s devoted to community service,” said church member Troy Tracy. “The reason why the Church of God holds this on an annual basis is in preparation for the Passover.”

Tracy continued to say church members want to do their “part to help save lives by donating one pint of blood” as one pint can save up to three lives.

This West Valley blood drive was not the only one that took place as the Church of God hosted blood drives in cities across the world.

“There are so many people that are [helping] at the same time, in multiple cities around the world. It makes it even a bigger deal than just the units of blood that we’re able to collect here,” said Red Cross Executive Director Benjamin Donner.

The blood donated during the West Valley drive today will help upwards of 150 different people, according to Donner.

Utah Church of God members say they’re happy with the response to the drive.

“Our turnout has been fantastic,” said Tracy. “We’ve had lots of members from our community come in and donate and volunteer to help save lives.” 

Red Cross workers are currently stressing the importance of blood donations saying extreme weather, including floods and winter storms, can lead to blood drive cancellations which places them in higher need.

For more information on how to donate, you can visit https://www.redcross.org/.