The American Red Cross announced three upcoming blood drives will be held in the area.

On July 15, a drive will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the conference room of Boatmen's Bank, 2 South Mount Auburn Road.

On July 15, a drive will be held from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the fellowship hall of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 1904 W. Cape Rock Drive.

On July 18, a drive will be held from 8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at St. Augustine School's gym in Kelso.

To be eligible to donate, you must weigh at least 110 pounds and be at least 17 years of age.

The Red Cross said donations are especially needed now because when temperatures go up donations go down. Even though the need for blood for hospital patients remains high, most blood drives do not collect as many donations because of employee vacations, and some places, such as schools, do not hold blood drives during the summer, the Red Cross said.