American Red Cross looking for blood donations ahead of the holiday weekend

Central Coast, Calif. (KION) The American Red Cross is asking for your help. The organization is looking for donors to help with the blood shortage across the country, and they’ve been adding an incentive to get people in the door ahead of the 4th of July weekend.

The American Red Cross in a press release said, they’re looking for donors of all blood types and those who donate could receive a five dollar Amazon gift card, as a thank you. Santa Cruz resident and frequent donor Richard Jones was at a blood drive on Tuesday at Hotel Paradox in Santa Cruz, he said incentives like these are nothing new but it’s what got him started.

"Well way back in the Marine Corps, eons ago, they bribed us. You got a steak dinner if you gave a pint of blood so that was the first one. And then way back to when, you got twenty dollars a pint for donating blood and that was good for a night on the town then. So, it just kind of carried on from there,” said Jones.

Today, Jones says he is celebrating his 165th donation, give or take a few, “It’s easy to do it helps people and it cost about an hour.”

KION spoke with the local Central Coast Red Cross Chapter, Michele Averill, CEO Community Chapter Executive over the phone. Averill mentioned that the blood supply is the most depleted it has ever been. Additionally, in an email response Averill wrote, “The American Red Cross is the nations leading blood provider and we send blood products when and where they are needed but we are not the only blood provider.”

Carla Spencer, RN and the Emergency Room Director with Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital says, she feels secure with their supply. “The hospital itself though, we are not seeing anything to be concerned about, in terms of blood shortage. We have what we need here”

Averill believes coming out of the pandemic has something to do with the increased shortage, especially now with the economy opening back up and the busy Fourth of July weekend looming; means more people are on the roads traveling, leading to more accidents.

Spencer of SVMH echoed the statement, "Certainly this time of year is risky, because lots of people attend parties, they may drive drunk, and there may be more trauma right. So we know with any sort of traumatic injury comes the risk to need blood."

It’s a life saving tool, more supply, the better off hospitals are, especially when it comes to preparing for mass casualty events, much like what happened last week, with the collapsed condo building in Surfside, Florida.

If you wish to donate you can visit, RedCross.org and type in your zip code. It will give you dates, locations, and ways to make an appointment.