By Amanda Saunders, BCN intern.

With hurricane season expected to be more active than usual, the American Red Cross is looking for trained medical professionals and volunteers to work in shelters and holding blood drives to make sure the community is prepared in the event of a natural disaster.

Currently, there are 14 scheduled blood drives happening between now and December in the area.

Local blood drives include: 

Pembroke

• 8/12/2021: 2 p.m. - 6 p.m., Pembroke United Methodist Church, 102 North College Street

Fort Stewart 

* 8/27/2021: 9 a.m. - 3 p.m., Building 8411 (Brigade headquarters), 594 Vanguard Road Ste 2071.

Richmond Hill

• 8/28/2021: 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., Bryan County NAACP, 7446 US Highway 17S. In addition, Richmond Hill United Methodist Church is open for donations from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 28 and from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. On Oct. 11, the Bethel Baptist Church will be hosting a drive.

To sign up for a donation, get more information about donating, or find other ways to help, visit the Red Cross website at RedCrossBlood.org.

If you want to make a difference and are interested in helping your community here at home or across the country, please contact Red Cross area offices at (404) 876-3302, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.