The 1 753rd Worldwide Blood Drive to ‘give life through the love of the Passover’ made its latest stop in Auckland Park on November 30, with volunteers from the World Mission Society Church of God joining hands with the South African National Blood Service (SANBS) at a time when blood stocks traditionally run low.

Read more: Church of God host blood drive

Maliviwe Diko, youth leader at the church, said the event forms part of a broader global effort involving many of the church’s international branches. For them, he explained, the act of donating blood is rooted in both faith and service.

“It’s basically just to give love,” Diko said. “In Christ’s teaching in the Bible, it states that we must love our neighbour as ourselves and purify the world with our good deeds. This is one of our volunteer efforts where we try to give blood to save lives. In the Bible, Jesus saves lives through blood, so not only in the spiritual aspect but also in the physical aspect, blood is very important. That’s why we, as a church, try to engage in volunteer work—particularly today, donating blood.”

Also read: The SANBS shares why you should roll up your sleeve and donate blood

For SANBS, the timing could not be more critical. Donor recruiter Marvin Ndlovu said December often brings a worrying dip in donations just as demand begins to rise.

“We’ve realised that when it gets closer to the December times, we need more blood units, but fewer people donate because everyone is busy with festive season stuff,” Ndlovu said. “I’m asking that everyone who has the time and the capacity—and knows they can donate blood—please come out in numbers to support us. As I said, in December, fewer people come through, and we need the blood mostly in December.”

The church and SANBS hope the turnout will inspire more residents to step forward in ensuring that every potential donor who can make a difference gets the chance to do so.

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