The American Red Cross had a good turnout for the blood drive they held at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church Monday

The blood drive saw more than 17 people come in to donate blood.

The Rev. Cindy Howard said the church recently held a blood drive and a lot of its membership participated.

The church stepped up to the plate and hosted a second drive when another venue wasn’t able to host the drive.

Blood donations are vital at a time like this, as people begin getting ready for the school year and donations are slowed during the summer months.

To encourage donations during these final weeks of summer, Red Cross is emailing a $5 Target eGiftCard to donors.

To donate a person must be in good health, be at least 17 years of age, and at least 110 pounds. Every individual can donate blood every 56 days.

Donors will need to bring an official form of identification that shows proof of age, signature and photo such as a passport or driver’s license.

A blood drive will be held Aug. 24, from 2 p.m. until 6 p.m. at First Baptist Andalusia.