The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints Ofankor Stake, over the weekend held a blood donation exercise to help stock the National Blood Bank. 

Mr George Thompson, the Second Counsellor in the Ofankor Stake Presidency, speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Accra during an interview said the exercise which formed part of the Church's mission aimed at giving sound health lives to the citizenry. 

"We are doing this to save lives and also get people who are sound wise in the country where we can reach them through the gospel," he said. 

Mr Thompson said as Church members they were following the footsteps of Christ who did good and still doing good. 

He said though it is the first time the Ofankor Stake, had organised such an exercise since its independence barely a year, it is going to be part of the Church's activities yearly. 

"We are going to have it twice in a year, that is one in the first six months and the last in the last six months of every year," he said. 

Mr Thompson said the target was to get 100-150 voluntary donors to make the exercise a success with 100-150 units of blood also being targeted. 

He called on the public to emulate the Church's gesture as blood is priceless. 

Mr Moses Kofi Nyame Ashiagbor, the Media Expert on Public Affairs Accra Ghana Ofankor Stake of the Church urged individuals to sacrifice their time and render such voluntary services to help save lives and also help solve the problem of blood issues at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital. 

Mrs Akoaua Brefowaa Okyere-Keelson, the Blood Donor Organiser at the National Blood Service at the Hospital, lauded the Church, leaders and members for the kind gesture that would go a long way to save lives. 

Nana Kwaku Amankwah Appiah, the Finance and Administrative Manager of Cancer Centre and a regular blood donor expressed happiness at being able to help save lives through the donation. 

He told the GNA that he is ready to support anytime he is called on to donate especially when getting blood in the country is sometimes difficult. 

He advised the public to give a hand or volunteer to give a pint of blood to save lives.