TOLEDO, Ohio — Hundreds of people flooded the UAW local 12 hall on Thursday in honor of former Toledo Mayor D. Michael Collins.
Collins passed away while in office in 2015 and since then, local union members and the Red Cross have been organizing this drive. Leaders from the American Red cross say Collins was an advocate for blood donation.
"And just a strong civil servant in our community for many years. And I'm sure mike would be honored we are doing this in his name because he was an advocate for a strong, sufficient blood supply," said Mark Buford of the American Red Cross.
And many of those who donated blood Thursday, felt the same way.
"I donate usually every 56 days, and that's as much as you can donate," said one donor.
In past years as many as 360 people gave blood at the blood drive. Organizers said they had a significant number of walk-ins throughout the day and hope to match that number.
"This year is doing really well. And if you leave out of here hungry or not feeling good about yourself you might want to check your pulse," Buford advised.