EATON — First Presbyterian Church in Eaton will help boost the blood supply during the critical holiday period by hosting a community blood drive Thursday, Dec. 20, from 1-7 p.m. in the Social Hall, 123 W. Decatur St., Eaton. Community Blood Center is celebrating the season by offering a gift of colorful holiday socks to everyone who registers to donate. Schedule an appointment online at www.DonorTime.com or call 1-800-388-GIVE.

This holiday season will be especially challenging for maintaining the area blood supply. If you must miss an appointment to donate please reschedule as soon as you can.

The First Presbyterian Church blood drive also provides the opportunity to donate platelets and plasma. Platelets are the cells that control bleeding while plasma is the fluid that maintains blood pressure. Both are vital for the treatment of cancer, trauma, organ transplant, and burn patients. New platelet donors are in high demand, especially those with blood types A, AB, or B positive. Find out more at www.GivingBlood.org or talk to an apheresis specialist at 937-461-3220.

CBC’s holiday gift socks are part of the “Make it a Holiday to Remember All the Way to Your Jingle Toes” campaign. The holiday socks are green, grey and red with multi-colored Christmas tree bulbs representing blood types. They are one size fits all, and are free when donors register to donate through Dec. 29 at a CBC Donor Center or mobile blood drive.