How to Locate a Local Blood Drive

Sixty percent of Americans are eligible to donate blood, but only five percent do it. If you would like to save up to three lives at a time, give a pint of blood. Blood drives happen all the time and it's not difficult at all to locate a local blood drive.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Call 1-800-448-3543 (1-800-GIVE-LIFE) to become an apheresis donor. Instead of whole blood, apheresis takes only a part of your blood, such as platelets, plasma, white or red cells or a combination of them and returns the rest to your body. This process takes longer than a whole blood donation (about 1 1/2to 2 hours) so you need a special appointment.

2. Register with America's Blood Center's national blood donor registry to locate a local blood drive (see Resources below). As a member of the registry you will receive notifications about local blood drives and be informed when there are shortages of blood in your area.

3. Visit the American Red Cross's Give Life website (see Resources below). Enter your ZIP code to find the nearest blood drive to you. Then log in or register, choose a location to donate from the list that comes up and choose an appointment.

4. Call 1-800-448-3543 (1-800-GIVE-LIFE) to locate a local blood drive. Also, if you are donating for yourself or a friend or family member for upcoming surgery, you can call this number to find out about scheduling an appointment. These types of appointments cannot be done at the American Red Cross's Give Life website.

Tips & Warnings

• While you are helping to save lives, why not become an organ or tissue donor? The American Red Cross website tells you how (see Resources below).

Resources

• America's Blood Centers to register for the national blood donor registry
• American Red Cross to register to sponsor a local blood drive
• American Red Cross Give Life page to find a blood drive