STRASBURG, Pa. — Members of the Strasburg Borough Police Department gave back to their community Thursday in a way that’s beyond the call of duty, as officers and members of the community donated blood.
“It doesn't hurt. It's pretty painless," Officer Bradley Klunk said. "It's a quick process to help the community."
Klunk and other officer around the county are encouraging people to give blood as part of the Bleed Blue Challenge.
"It's a friendly competition between police departments to motivate people to donate blood," he said.
2024 is the fifth year of the competition, which started in 2019 with four departments and 75 donors. Last year, more than 900 people gave blood.
Here are all the participating department in 2024:
"You know, it takes maybe 45 minutes to an hour out of your day to give life to somebody else in need," Lancaster General Health Blood Donor Center supervisor Shauna McCauley said.
McCauley says donations through the Bleed Blue Challenge help those in Lancaster County.
"We support the Lancaster General Hospital, Women and Babies Hospital and the Ann B. Barshinger Cancer Institute," McCauley said.
Klunk says it's an amazing opportunity to make a positive impact across the county.
"You can donate blood to help save up to three lives," Klunk said. "It's important that this is a bad time. A lot of blood is needed at this point. It takes a lot of support from everyone."
The challenge runs through Feb. 29, giving people of all ages and blood types the opportunity to donate.