CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — First responders are being thanked in the Coastal Bend area, not because of what they do during the day, but because of what they did off the clock.
Over the past few weeks, area firefighters and police officers competed in the Boots and Badges Blood Donation Drive.
The winning team was the Flour Bluff Fire Department. The department donated 30 units of blood at a single donation event. It was also their first time competing in the contest.
Officials with the Coastal Bend Blood Center said they're glad that the competition was held this year because it is a big draw for donations.
"We're dealing with COVID spikes again, so making sure we have blood on the shelves is extremely important," organizers with the CBBC said.
This was the 18th year for the contest. Organizers said they're planning other big donation events in the coming weeks.