'Extraordinary generosity': Church of Jesus Christ donates over $7M to the American Red Cross

SALT LAKE CITY — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is giving $7.047 million to the American Red Cross to help with blood collection and disaster response efforts.

This is in addition to $850,000 sent to support relief efforts following April's super-typhoon Sinlaku in the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam, a statement on Friday said.

Presiding Bishop W. Christopher Waddell said the church is grateful to strengthen the Red Cross's ability to care for people.

"As followers of Jesus Christ, we seek to care for our neighbors, lift burdens and bring hope to individuals and families in times of need," he said.

The donation includes almost $3 million for blood services and medical equipment, $2 million for the Red Cross Sickle Cell Initiative, and $710,000 for expanding the Red Cross blood laboratory in Murray. It will also fund 50 collection machines and four emergency response vehicles.

American Red Cross CEO Cliff Holtz thanked the church for its "unwavering partnership and extraordinary generosity year after year."

"The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has led the way in helping the Red Cross deliver our mission," he said in the statement.

The church has had a relationship with the Red Cross for over a century, and held its first blood drive in 1996. Since that point, the church has become the organization's largest blood drive contributor. Church members donate about 97,000 units of blood each year, and in that time over 1 million units have been collected through church-hosted blood drives.

Blaine Maxfield, the church's managing director for welfare and self-reliance, called this donation an investment to strengthen the Red Cross and those who rely on it.

"Working with the American Red Cross, we can help expand access to essential services and support individuals, families and communities as they build greater stability and resilience," Maxfield said in the church's statement.

The church has given similar donations to the Red Cross in the past, including $5.1 million in 2025 and $7.35 million in 2024.

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