Donors who attended the blood drive hosted by the Jaffrey Bible Church on Thursday donated a total of 32 pints of blood.
“The need for blood is constant. Particularly in the winter months. And that is compounded this year by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Mary Brant, communications manager for the Red Cross Northern New England region.
In late February, several winter storms in a row resulted in several canceled blood drives across the state, Brant said, resulting in a need for several short-notice drives across the state to replenish blood banks at area hospitals. Brant said the two types in most demand are, as they always are, O positive, which is the most common blood type, and O negative, which is considered the “universal donor” and can be given to a person with any blood type.
But every pint donated counts.
Nationally, the Red Cross needs to provide up to 13,000 donations each day to provide for hospital needs.
Each donation, Brant said, may be used among as many as three patients, meaning the donations given Thursday in Jaffrey may help as many as 96 people.
“The Jaffrey Bible Church is a very strong supporter of the Red Cross, and holds regular blood drives,” Brant said. “The Red Cross is an organization that depends on volunteers. The drives are run by volunteers, and the people that come to donate are volunteer donors. Because of the donors in the Jaffrey area, we are able to meet the needs of the area hospitals. But as I said, that need is constant.”
Brant said that while the Red Cross currently is able to meet the needs of area hospitals thanks to donor drives, there is a constant need for volunteer donors. Only about 3 percent of the United States population are blood donors, Brant said, and blood only has a shelf life of about 42 days. So the need for volunteer donors is constant.
“There is only one source of blood, and that is a healthy volunteer donor,” Brant said. “That’s why we ask people not only to donate, but to make is a regular, ongoing appointment.”
A healthy, qualified donor is eligible to give blood as often as every eight weeks.
Two more blood drives are planned in upcoming weeks.
Hancock: March 5, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Meeting House, 47 Main St.
Jaffrey: March 9, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Jaffrey Bible Church, 133 Turnpike Road