CASSOPOLIS — Pleasant View Church of Christ in Cassopolis was filled Dec. 19 with Cass County residents who wanted to give a unique gift away for the holidays: the gift of life.

Pleasant View Church of Christ, located at 60550 Crooked Creek Road, Cassopolis, hosted its bi-monthly blood drive with the American Red Cross that afternoon from noon to 5:30 p.m.

Jeff Oliver, pastor of Pleasant View Church of Christ, said that the church offers the blood drives as often as possible in order to bring the community together and give people plenty of opportunities to donate blood.

“We’ve been doing this for a number of years,” Oliver said. “We wanted to do this because, for one, there wasn’t anywhere that offered drives every two months, which is how often you can give [whole] blood. So, you really couldn’t give without going out of town, and another church stopped doing it, so we stepped in, and started doing this year round. We’ve been doing this probably 10 years.”

Oliver said the church opened its doors for blood drives as it believes giving blood is an important duty that anyone who is able should give to. Giving blood saves lives year round, but can be an especially good gift to give during the holiday season, he said.

“During this time of year, you have a lot of people out travelling on the roads, who may need blood, should they experience an accident,” Oliver said. “But giving blood saves lives during any time of the year.”

Those who donated on Dec. 19 said they believed that giving blood is a good gift to give if someone is able to.

John Bradke, of Cassopolis, said that giving blood was a chance for him to give back. He has been giving blood for the last 12 years, after recovering from a car accident in 1974.

“They had to give me blood, so I decided to pay it back,” he said. “I want to help out people in need and keep them alive. I’m just happy to give, because [blood drives] have helped me out.”

Floyd Groner, of Dowagaic, said that he comes to give blood each time the American Red Cross calls him to let him know that he is able to donate.

“I like to pay it forward,” Groner said of why he gives blood. “I like to help out. After all, I might need some help some day.”

The church’s next blood drive will be in February. In order to donate blood at one of Pleasant View Church of Christ’s blood drives, one will have to fill out a health form to ensure that they are qualified to donate. The church takes walk-in or call ahead appointments. To make an appointment, call (269) 445-2655.

“Before you come be sure to drink lots of fluids and make sure you are in good health,” Oliver advised. “Giving blood saves lives. It is incredibly important. If you see [a blood drive sign] here or anywhere else, and you have the opportunity. Give out an arm and save a life.”