You give, but you get, as well, when you participate in the American Red Cross annual Christmas blood drive from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, Dec. 24, at the ARC Blood Donor Center, 900 Hammond St. in Bangor.

Foremost, of course, is the gift of life that you give others with this very personal donation.

But this event also offers holiday gifts for everyone and delicious food courtesy of Wright Brothers American Grill at the Sheraton Four Points hotel in Bangor.

Radio station Z107.3 FM will be doing a live remote broadcast and members of the Key Club from John Bapst Memorial High School in Bangor will be there to wrap all your holiday gifts, which, to many, is a gift itself.

ARC recruiter Angela Bilodeau explained that the Christmas Eve blood drive, which has been a tradition in Bangor for nearly 20 years, is the donor center’s most successful annual drive.

“It’s the highlight of the year for us,” Bilodeau said.

It is very important that our readers understand how essential it is that you participate in the drive this year.

Many people donated blood after the tragic events of Sept. 11.

But right now in eastern Maine, “we’re not meeting our goals for this time of year,” Bilodeau said. “And we’re really asking people to take time out and help us meet those needs.”

Bilodeau explained that here in our region, the ARC actually canceled 30 blood drives after the events of Sept. 11 because so many people came to donate blood after the terrorist incidents in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania.

However, you must remember that blood can be stored for only 42 days, “and all that blood we collected after September 11 is no longer available to us,” Bilodeau said.

Area hospitals must have enough blood to fulfill all needs that arise during the holidays, when so many people are on the road and the accident rate increases.

Recent events and media reports about ARC blood collections elsewhere do not necessarily reflect what is happening here.

“We tried to collect only what we knew we could transfuse,” Bilodeau said of the decision to cancel further blood drives this fall once the ARC Blood Donor Center had enough blood.

“Most of our sponsors were wonderful about that, but now we’re not meeting our collection goals to supply the hospitals over the holidays.”

So, once again, the ARC is asking you to give blood, to give the gift of life this holiday season.

If you can’t make it to the donor center on Christmas Eve day, you might be able to donate New Year’s Eve day from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday, Dec. 31, at the donor center.

If you have questions about donating blood, call the ARC Blood Donor Center at 941-2900 or (800) 432-7376.

Many of you may have read it elsewhere, but if you missed it, St. John’s Episcopal Church parish administrator Corky Smith wants the public to know that the church’s Youth Fellowship is sponsoring a free holiday meal beginning at 5 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 23, at the church at 225 French St. in Bangor.

The church is located behind John Bapst Memorial High School, and everyone is welcome to attend.

Youngsters of the Kenduskeag Elementary School recently learned “a wonderful lesson in caring and sharing,” wrote teacher Lee Margaret Jack, when they collected food and pennies for the local food cupboards.

More than 900 pounds of food and $377 were raised by the 125 pupils and staff, who spent an afternoon rolling the coins, which then were taken to the bank by second-graders, who exchanged the coins for currency.

The pupils next went to the grocery store and purchased additional items, such as baking and cleaning supplies, paper and baby products, toiletries and meats.

Everything was delivered to the Corinth and Kenduskeag food cupboards, Jack wrote.

On behalf of the pupils and staff of KES, she thanks “all the families who helped with the donations, time and effort,” and wishes members of the community “Happy Holidays.”

Past presidents Phyllis Borns and Mary Jo Sanger want people to be aware that the Thursday Club has created an endowed scholarship at the University of Maine Foundation to be known as the Thursday Club Scholarship Fund.

The scholarship will benefit outstanding, upper-level, nontraditional students at UMaine.

Thursday Club, which dates to 1911, is an organization of women faculty members and wives. Thursday Club funds will be used to help establish the scholarship.

Each $5,000 in the endowment fund will allow for the annual granting of one scholarship. The new scholarship is a continuation of Thursday Club’s support for upper-level, nontraditional students.

Anyone may contribute any amount by making out a check to the University of Maine Foundation, attention Thursday Club Scholarship Fund, and mailing it to University of Maine Foundation, P.O. Box 2220, Bangor 04402-2220.

If you wake up Christmas morning and find a brand-new snowmobile sitting outside, you might want to make plans to participate in one of this area’s most popular charity rides, the Ricky Craven Snowmobile Ride for Charity, which is scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 26, in Greenville.

The event benefits the Maine Make-A-Wish Foundation, Children’s Miracle Network of Eastern Maine Healthcare, the Marrow Foundation, the Travis Roy Foundation and the Give Kids the World Foundation.

The ride is led by Maine’s only NASCAR Winston Cup driver, the man in the No. 32 Tide car.

The charity ride entry fee is $125 for each rider.

Information and brochures explaining the event may be obtained by calling 338-0700 or 941-9364, or by writing Ricky Craven Charity Ride, P.O. Box 2223, Bangor 04402-2223.

By the way, an only-one-to-be-made Fisher 71/2-foot snowplow – in the Tide 32 car colors – which will be auctioned off at the ride, may be seen during Craven’s autograph session 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 22, at Craven Motor Sports North in Belfast.

Joni Averill, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04402; 990-8288.