Upcoming blood drive by Sacred Heart Church amid low blood supplies
Monroe. Blood donation has dropped around New York State, but a Sacred Heart Church parish group hopes their blood drive will attract generous donors as has happened in the past.
Monroe /
| 09 Jan 2023 | 06:24
The Christian Service Committee, a parish group of Sacred Heart Church, will hold its annual blood drive on Sunday, January 22, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Sacred Heart School’s gym at 26 Still Road. This is a crucial time for donations as blood supplies tend to wane in this part of the year.
“It has a lot to do with the Covid pandemic, our usual people wouldn’t come out,” said Aileen McCarthy, chairwoman of the Christian Service Community.
According to New York Blood Center statistics from October 2022, the Covid-19 pandemic caused a huge decline in blood donations over the last few years, especially during this time of year, resulting in nationwide demand for blood supplies. Of the 62% of the U.S. population that can donate, only 4% of those people do, a gap that continues to grow.
Despite the lows, the Christian Service Community’s blood drives generally receive good donor responses from the community, and 2021’s drive was one of the best blood drives they ever held.
“In 2021, we had our best blood drive in years. We collected around 120 pints,” McCarthy said. She hopes the local community will come througn again.
For more information or to sign up, call Aileen McCarthy at (845) 662-6431, Tina Quirk at (845) 783-3252, or Renie Braunagel at (845) 662-6431. For donating, a photo ID is required and a donor call is preferred.
For eligibility questions or other information, call the New York Blood Center at (800) 688-0900 or visit its website at https://www.nybc.org/.