Give Blood
The Red Cross coordinates multiple blood drives every month. If you would like an emailed list of each month’s local blood drives, please send your email address and name to . Or you can visit the Blood Drive Calendar which is posted each month to our website under the Give Blood tab.
Your Union County chapter surpassed its blood collection goal again last year. Thanks to dedicated blood donors and blood drive sponsors, 4,478 units of blood were collected. Our sincere apreciation goes to the many sponsors who hosted the drives and to the citizens who rolled up their sleeves to give the Gift of Life.
Our chapter collaborates with the Carolinas Blood Services region of the American Red Cross to promote blood donation and works to recruit businesses, schools, churches and other community groups to sponsor blood drives. If your business or organization would like to sponsor a drive, please call us at (704) 283-7402.
One pint of blood can save three lives. Do your part every eight weeks!
If you have been deferred in the past, review donation eligibility requirements, as they have changed.
For specific medical condition questions, call a record review coordinator at 1-866-562-7156.
Blood Donations
When people think of the Red Cross, their first thought may be of blood drives. And rightly so—the Red Cross provides nearly half of the nation’s blood supply. The Union County chapter coordinates many blood drives each month because there is a constant need for blood supplies. Last year, the chapter coordinated 114 blood drives, which collected 4,478 units of blood. Each unit of blood can be separated and used for up to three individuals. Blood is needed 24 hours a day, seven days a week for surgical patients, accident victims, cancer patients or children with blood disorders. But blood is a perishable resource with a “shelf life” of just 42 days.
The blood needs of our country can only be met by voluntary donation. Repeat donors can give blood every 56 days, and many donors contribute up to six times a year. At least 60 percent of the American population is eligible to donate blood, yet only 5 percent actually do.
To donate blood, you must: Be at least 17 years old, weigh 110 pounds and be in good health.
Regular donations are the keys to ensuring a ready supply of blood. After donation, it can take three days for a blood donation to be tested, processed and available for transfusion. Nationwide, 38,000 blood donations are needed each day. When a disaster strikes, this need is even greater.
The American Red Cross has a national inventory system that allows blood to be moved when and where it’s needed. Blood service regions support each other and other collections agencies when inclement weather, disasters or other conditions impact their ability to collect and distribute blood.