As you have no doubt observed, it’s easy to talk about loving one’s neighbor, but it’s an entirely different thing to put those principles into practice. Blood donation is a simple and practical way to “walk the talk” of love. It isn’t a huge sacrifice, but it requires a willingness to set aside time, energy, and comfort for a brief time in order to provide others with something of yourself—your blood!

Blood donation may seem like a small offering—so small in fact, it’s easy to overlook—but our characters are made up of the small, mundane sacrifices we make for other people (or our neglect of them). Here at Faith in Blood, we believe G-d honors our efforts, small and large, to heed his command to care for the sick and give out of our abundance.

Blood drives are one of the best ways to get people to gather in a spirit of service. Anyone (even kids!) can serve as a volunteer on the day of the event, and there are all kinds of games, friendly competitions, and educational events that can lead up to the actual blood drive. It’s wonderful to see a religious community rally around the work of protecting the health and life of their fellows.

If members of your religious community are like most of us, they probably fall into spiritual ruts. We attend synagogue, pray, observe holidays and fasts, and do our best to be good people—but somehow it all ends up feeling a little flat. Blood donation is one way to break out of these ruts.

The vast majority of people rarely give blood. That means, when we do give blood it’s kind of an extraordinary experience! It’s an opportunity to step out of our comfort zone and say to G-d: Today, I am going to do what I believe you want me to do—whether or not it’s comfortable or easy. This simple action of love can revitalize a person’s commitment and encourage them to put G-d and others first.