The American Red Cross is coming back to the Pinelands library.
A blood drive will be set up in the multi-purpose room of the library, inside Medford town hall, on Friday, Aug. 14, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Blood and power red donations from volunteers will be accepted. During the month, every donor who gives blood will receive a $20 Amazon gift card by email.
The library has partnered with the Red Cross since April 2023, according to branch manager Danielle Haubrich.
“We generally aim to host a drive every eight weeks, which is the recommended amount of time to wait between donations,” she explained in an email. “Sometimes, because of scheduling and room availability, it is a week or two over or under eight weeks.”
Volunteers can sign up for an appointment in advance of the drive by visiting the Red Cross website and looking for the sponsor code MedfordCommunity to find the correct drives. Appointments are preferred, but not required. People outside of the library system are welcome to participate as long as they meet donor requirements.
To donate blood – the most common type of donation – donors must be at least 17 years old, or 16 years old with parent/guardian consent; must be in good health and currently feeling well; and must weigh at least 110 pounds.
To donate power red – which is when red cells are collected but most of the plasma and platelets are returned back to the donor – all participants must have the blood types O, A negative or B negative. Male donors must be at least 17, at least 5-foot-1 tall, weigh at least 130 pounds and have a hemoglobin level of at least 13.3 grams per deciliter.
Female donors must be at least 19, at least 5-foot-3 tall, weigh at least 150 pounds and have a hemoglobin level of at least 13.3 grams per deciliter.
The Red Cross recently reported an emergency blood shortage; its supply declined by 25 percent in June. The decline began in late May and has caused a gap in supply and patient demands. By participating in local blood drives, donors can help save many lives.
Other blood drives at the library will be on Friday, Oct., 9, and Friday, Dec. 11, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Each session is exactly eight weeks apart.
A Red Cross blood drive will take place at the Pinelands library inside Medford’s town hall on Friday, Aug. 14.
