ROANOKE, Va. – The Red Cross is sounding the alarm this Sickle Cell Awareness Month about what they call a critically-low supply of blood from Black donors. According to the Red Cross, about 100,000 people in the U.S. are living with sickle cell disease. Those patients are more likely to find a compatible blood match from a donor who is Black. Black blood donations have dropped significantly, going from more than 15,000 at school drives in 2019 to only 2,700 this year. A blood drive to help sickle cell patients is happening at the Red Cross office in Roanoke on Sept. 29 from 12 to 6 p.m.