Our Blood is the Same - Be part of the Interfaith Blood Drive! July 21

Our Blood is the Same We'd like to echo the beautiful message that Pastor Tanisha Walton, from The Way Christian Center, shared with us on Shabbat morning at shul:  "We are in the midst of troubling times in our country and in the world. What better response is there than to unite together as people from different faiths and backgrounds? And beyond this, to donate blood together - after all, underneath this skin, we are all the same. Please join us."  Join us in the important mitzvah of donating blood on Thursday, July 21, from 12-6pm, in the Netivot Shalom social hall. We are happy to co-sponsor this blood drive with our friends at The Way Christian Center and Pacifica Institute as part of Red Cross Interfaith Month. There are 2 ways to help:            1. Donate blood: Sign up to donate blood at www.redcrossblood.org (use code CNS) or call 1-800-RED-CROSS. Walk-ins are welcome, but appointments will be honored first, so we encourage you to sign up ahead of time. For anonymous eligibility questions, please call 1-866-236-3276. 2. Volunteer: We would also very much appreciate volunteers to help us set up, greet, and manage the canteen - sign up at www.signupgenius.com/go/4090b4fa5ac292-interfaith   Some notes about the blood drive: Please do not park at a meter, in case your blood donation takes longer than expected. Instead, park in the neighborhoods behind Netivot Shalom or The Way. If you'd like to expedite the blood donation process, on the day of your appointment, fill out Rapid Pass: http://www.redcrossblood.org/rapidpass  We recognize that the Red Cross currently has a discriminatory policy that imposes restrictions on gay and bisexual men wishing to donate blood that do not apply to others, and we disagree with this policy. We participate in this blood drive because the current need is great, but we do so with the hope that one day no one will face discriminatory exclusion from participating in this important mitzvah. Questions? E-mail Hilla Abel at socialaction@netivotshalom.org.    Congregation Netivot Shalom 1316 University Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94702 510.549.9447 ext. 104 www.netivotshalom.org