The Community Blood Center will be hosting its 8th annual Hodag M.A.S.H (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) Blood Drive this Wednesday. Vice President of Donation Services Kristine Belanger says the event is fun way to save lives.
“We convert Pioneer Park into a M.A.S.H.-themed donation event with tents and food and free tee shirts and it’s a lot of fun and it’s a great to way to donate a unit of blood and save up to three lives.”
Belanger says summer is a tough time for donations, but the need for blood is constant.
“Summer is always a very challenging time for blood donation centers to insure an adequate inventory for patients. There’s a couple of reasons for that. One reason is that the high schools and colleges are out of session. For us, that amounts to about 500 donations a month that need to be made up by other people. That’s one of the reasons why we do these events.”
Belanger says there will be complimentary food and tee shirts provided for donors. Donors will also be entered for a chance to win one of four $500 gift cards. Walk-ins are welcome, but reservations are encouraged and can be made at communityblood.org. The event is from 8:00-5:00 on this Wednesday, July 19th at Pioneer Park.
