The American Red Cross is selling first-aid kits that will help take care of anything from bee stings to scraped knees.

“You’ll never know what you could come up with,” Mary Cooper, a transfer student and journalism major, said. “Always expect the unexpected. That’s why it’s important to have a first aid kit.”

The kits are $5 and are available at the Kishwaukee Health Care Building, 2727 Sycamore Road. Cash or check is accepted.

“We actually encourage you to buy as many as you want,” said Todd Mikesell, service coordinator of the DeKalb chapter of the American Red Cross.

The kits contain an instant cold pack, two BZK towelettes, two sting relief pads, a kit tape (1/2 x 2.5 yards), rolled gauze, 10 adhesive bandages, a fingertip bandage, a pair of vinyl gloves, a first-aid facts card and a first-aid cream.

Mikesell said he believes the American Red Cross first-aid kits are a better value than the first-aid kits found in pharmacies or grocery stores because they are supplied and approved by the Red Cross.

“It would be difficult to find a first-aid kit with as many items as ours have in it for the same amount of money,” said Karen Remen, director of DeKalb chapter of the American Red Cross. “We believe it’s a lot of value for the cost.”

The kits are only $5 because the chapter has a special promotion working with the first-aid kit provider. The money raised from selling the kits will be used to fund the chapter and services the Red Cross provides.

The kits are sold to recognize September as “Together We Prepare” month.

“People can have first-aid kits available to them to use in case of an emergency,” Remen, said. “We would like for, hopefully, everybody to be prepared in case of disaster.”

From 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. on Sept. 18, the American Red Cross of DeKalb County will hold a presentation on “Together We Prepare” and a first-aid course. The event is free. For more information on the Red Cross in DeKalb County, call 756-7339.