ABILENE, Texas — Are you team Guns or team Hoses?
You can choose to donate blood in the name of either the Abilene Police Department (the Guns) or the Abilene Fire Department (the Hoses) at the annual Guns and Hoses blood drive.
The event is Tuesday-Wednesday at either the police department, 4565 S. 1st St., or Hendrick Regional Blood Center, 1701 Pine St.
In exchange for giving a pint (or more) of blood, you get a pint of Blue Bell ice cream and a Guns and Hoses T-shirt in return.
Last year, the drive gained 395 donations. Guns beat Hoses by a slim margin at 199 to 196. As the winner, the APD got the traveling trophy and the honor to serve as a donation site for this year. So far, the Guns have five victories to the Hoses’ four.
That seems fitting, as the blood drive is in honor of long-time donor Rodney Holder, a police officer killed in a motorcycle crash in the line of duty in 2010.
The event is meant to restock HRBC’s supplies at a time of year when donations are low. This is critical, since the center supplies blood products to 20 hospitals across 18 counties in the region.
