Faithful give blood

The first In Good Faith blood donor week sponsored July 12-16 by interfaith clinics in Ottawa collected 985 units of blood, which organizers say is enough to save nearly 3,000 lives.

?We reached 112 per cent of target for our interfaith clinics,? said Anita Hebert, donor services co-ordinator. ?This is a challenging time of year for blood collection and by encouraging people of faith to step forward to donate during the holidays we hope to ensure there is enough blood for everyone in need.?

The plan is to have three such blood donor weeks during the year, especially during times when donations are low. The next drive is scheduled in December.