By Alex Lane -

The Jackson Civic Center, located next to the Jackson Police Department, was alive with activity Thursday afternoon as residents lined up to donate blood through the BloodSource blood drive. Community volunteers prepared the building by setting up chairs and tables before the drive opened its doors at 11am. The spacious room is also the home to Jackson City Council meetings. Volunteers from the hospital and other area health facilities were there to draw blood from donors who looked utterly content in relaxing, high-backed chairs. After they submitted to a relatively painless needle prick, donors were offered their choice from a number of blood sugar raising treats. “I’ve been on this earth some 64 years now, and this is the first time I’ve bothered to donate blood- I’m not going to make that mistake again,” said Bill, a resident of Plymouth. Established in 1948 as a not-for-profit community blood bank, BloodSource provides lifesaving services to millions of people in 25 counties throughout northern and central California. BloodSource was created entirely by community members in response to a growing need-the need for a safe and adequate blood supply. Through a network of 15 blood centers and over 40 hospitals in cities from Merced to the Oregon border, the BloodSource mission remains simple: To provide blood and services to those in need. To learn more about BloodSource, visit www.bloodsource.org.