The American Red Cross will hold a blood drive Thursday, Feb. 9 from 1-6 p.m. at First Mennonite Church, 101 S. Jackson St., Bluffton. Donors should enter the church via the double doors on Jackson Street directly across from Bluffton Elementary/Middle School. The church is handicap-accessible.

To schedule your blood donation appointment, call 1-800-RED-CROSS or go to redcrossblood.org, sponsor code “fmenncbl.”

According to the American Red Cross, every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood. Approximately 36,000 units of red blood cells are needed every day in the U.S. Nearly 7,000 units of platelets and 10,000 units of plasma are needed daily in the U.S. Nearly 21 million blood components are transfused each year in the U.S. The blood type most often requested by hospitals is type O.