Mary Jo Bellner Swartzberg
Were you aware that each year SaddleBrooke hosts five blood drives right here within our own community? Blood drives are held frequently across the country in order to provide resources for victims of fire, flood, hurricane, tornado and more. The Red Cross raises funds and distributes food, groceries, household items and more to provide relief where relief is needed. The chapters work diligently to monitor relief efforts and work cooperatively with other relief societies in their relief efforts.
According to Belinda Waller, MPH, coordinator for SaddleBrooke’s blood drives, “Because of all of the natural disasters that have occurred this year the need for blood is critical. But, SaddleBrooke has only been donating 55-60 units per blood donor day. We could do much more.”
The blood donor days for 2019 are January 26, March 30, May 25, August 10 and November 16 and are held in the MountainView West Ballroom. If you would like to donate contact the American Red Cross at 1-800-732-2767 or go to RedCrossBlood.org and use Sponsor Code SaddleBrooke.
Some simple facts about American Red Cross include:
* The Red Cross was founded in 1881 by Clara Barton.
* It is a humanitarian entity that provides approximately 45% of the nation’s blood supply.
* The organization supports more than 1,000 organizations across the U.S.
“The need is real; the time is now.”