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FOX43 blood drive experiences fewer donors ahead of Memorial Day weekend

Thursday's blood drive expected fewer donations due to increased traveling for Memorial Day weekend.

YORK, Pa. — The FOX43 Blood Drive returned to York Township just in time before the busy Memorial Day weekend. 

The American Red Cross (ARC) prepared for fewer donations due to holiday travel plans. However, that didn’t stop members of ARC from encouraging eligible blood donors to ‘respond to the call.’

“A blood drive like this today right before a long weekend, a holiday weekend, is very important because a lot of people are traveling, so they’re not available,” said Bonnie Wolf, Thursday’s event organizer for ARC.

This year’s blood drive was once again hosted at the York Jewish Community Center (JCC). The venue is large enough to accommodate donors from across York County. Thursday’s drive is estimated to collect about 70 units of blood, a substantial decrease in donations compared to previous drives.

“If we collected 600 units of blood on a holiday Monday we’re probably going to collect 150 [units],” Wolf said.

Though fewer donations were expected, the Red Cross remained undeterred and welcomed more than 50 donors during Thursday’s drive.

“In times when one area doesn’t have the blood that they need, we can move blood around the country,” Wolf said.

Regardless of the amount raised, all the blood donated from Thursday’s drive will help more than 200 patients across the region.

“Healthy donors just mean the world to people in the hospital, their blood donation is one of the tools that a doctor needs to help someone recover from an injury or disease,” Wolf explained.

For any prospective donors that couldn’t make it out to Thursday’s blood drive, the next American Red Cross - FOX43 blood drive is August 24 at the JCC in York.

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