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Manassas Park proclaims March American Red Cross Month; chapter urges blood donations after storm cancellations
Summary
The governing body declared March 2026 American Red Cross Month and heard from Juan Garcia of the Northern Virginia chapter, who said winter storms forced blood-drive cancellations and asked residents and organizations to donate or host drives to address a shortage.
The Manassas Park Governing Body proclaimed March 2026 as American Red Cross Month on March 3 and welcomed representatives from the Northern Virginia chapter.
Juan Garcia, identified during the meeting as executive director for the chapter, thanked the city for ongoing support and said recent winter storms caused numerous blood-drive cancellations. "If you're able to donate blood or you're able to organize a blood drive, we're still in an appeal right now for a blood shortage," he said, urging residents to donate to help local hospitals.
A volunteer with the chapter (identified in the meeting as a local community volunteer leader, Priy) answered a council member’s question about mobile blood-collection vehicles: "We used to have the big buses or vans that would go out and do the blood drives... now we just do more like fixed-site locations," she said, explaining the chapter’s deployment approach for suburban areas.
The proclamation recognized the American Red Cross’s long history and local volunteers’ role in disaster response, shelter and blood collection. Garcia asked the community to consider hosting or attending blood drives as the chapter works to replenish the regional supply.
The proclamation was approved by motion as part of the meeting’s consent motions.
