Bandera Electric Cooperative (BEC) hosted a community blood drive on Tuesday, August 18 in coordination with the South Texas Blood & Tissue Center.
The drive, held in Bandera at BEC Headquarters, gave members and BEC employees an opportunity to donate blood to help meet the ongoing blood supply needs in the community.
As part of BEC’s Charging Forward initiative for 2026, community blood drives such as this underscore the importance of member involvement in the co-op and investing in the communities in which we serve.
“Community blood drives are extremely important because they bring the opportunity to donate directly to where people live, work, worship and gather,” said Michael Wanjura, Donor Recruitment and Account Manager for the South Texas Blood & Tissue Center. “They make donating convenient while also reminding people that maintaining the blood supply is truly a community responsibility,” said Wanjura.
And the community took this responsibility to heart, exceeding the goal of 18 units with 22 units of blood collected and an estimated 66 lives saved because of the donations.
BEC hosts two blood drives per year, with the next drive scheduled for February 2027. More information and the date of the next drive will be shared in the coming months. We look forward to welcoming back our members for another opportunity to make a lifesaving difference in the community.