Adam Cook of Spring Lake had some time on his lunch break, so he stopped to donate blood at the American Red Cross blood drive at Graafschap Fire Department station, 4534 60th St. on Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023.
“Thank you to all the blood donors that showed up today! We were happy to open up the firehouse for the American Red Cross,” the department wrote on its Facebook page on the day of the event.
Firefighters also gave tours of the facility when asked.
This was the first time the station has been used for a blood drive and it won’t be the last.
Upcoming blood drives are scheduled for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 30, and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 29.
For more information on the blood drives, visit www.redcrossblood.org or call (800) RED CROSS (733-2767).
Community outreach
The blood drives are another way the department reaches out to the community.
The department has free weekly blood pressure checks at the facility from 10 a.m. to noon on Wednesdays. The popular July Fourth pancake breakfast draws more than a thousand people to the site to help raise funds for the department for unbudgeted items and area charities.
The department is also engaged in Community Risk Reduction, providing home safety inspections and an expanded smoke/carbon monoxide detector program.
For more information about fire department programs, visit the website here or call the non-emergency number at (616) 396-4060.