The Gloucester Volunteer Fire and Rescue Squad’s 11th annual blood drive, sponsored by Junior EMS and Fire Cadet members, will be held from 1-7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 13, at Station 1 on Main Street, Gloucester.

Residents are invited to celebrate life and make a difference by giving blood, said organizer Sean McNulty, who established this drive in memory of his son and three of his son’s friends, who died in a 2006 automobile accident.

“It could be a young child with a rare blood disorder, a family member fighting cancer, or a friend involved in a car accident,” he said.

Over the years, the blood drive has collected 1,170 units of blood for the American Red Cross, said McNulty. Since each unit of blood can be used for as many as three people, up to 3,510 people have benefitted in some way from the blood collected during the annual drive.

Local blood donations are meant to stay local unless there is a great need elsewhere, said McNulty, which means that many ...