WREX.com – Rockford’s News LeaderRed Cross asks donors to honor veterans by giving blood

Red Cross asks donors to honor veterans by giving blood

ROCKFORD (WREX) - The Rock River Chapter of the American Red Cross collects blood to honor and thank war veterans during the holiday season.

It first started as a relief effort to provide life-saving plasma and blood for soldiers during World War II. Today the red cross collects and distributes nearly half the nation's civilian blood supply, and serves more than 3,000 hospitals in the U.S.

A Red Cross spokesman also calls the drives opportunities to educate people on the process: where blood goes, and who needs it.

The Red Cross will hold similar drives every other month, starting in February.