SIDNEY — The Sidney Apostolic Temple is helping boost the blood supply during the heart of winter with a community blood drive Thursday, Feb. 9 from 3 to 7 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall, 210 S. Pomeroy Ave. Community Blood Center is offering the “Rise, Shine & Give” ceramic coffee tumbler to everyone who registers to donate. Donors are encouraged to schedule an appointment online at www.DonorTime.com or call 800-388-GIVE.

Winter presents many challenges to maintaining the area blood supply. A high number of donors have not been able to donate this winter because of seasonal illness. If you must miss an appointment to donate please reschedule when you can. We especially encourage eligible donors to help with the need for type O positive and type O negative whole blood donations and type A/B platelet and plasma donations.

CBC is helping donors keep a sunny outlook during the coldest weeks of winter with the “Rise, Shine & Give” ceramic tumbler with removable silicone grip. It’s free to anyone who registers to donate through Saturday, Feb. 25, at any CBC Donor Center and most CBC mobile blood drives.

Community Blood Center is now testing blood donations for the Zika virus and is no longer deferring donors for travel to Zika endemic areas. By consenting to give blood, donors are agreeing to participate in a research study to help develop better testing systems to protect the blood supply.

Learn more at www.GivingBlood.org.