With very few students and faculty volunteering, efforts to gather a bigger supply of blood continued on Thursday as the American Red Cross returned for their monthly blood drive at the Liberal Arts Campus.
During this month’s blood drive, it was reported that around 20 donors showed up to donate blood.
It was expected that more donors would show up throughout the day.
Typically, the blood drive has an estimated amount of average donors where they only capture a certain amount of the school’s population.
“We’re just trying to capture plenty of opportunities for students who weren’t able to donate last month to come in and donate this month,” Diana Boyd said, senior account manager for the American Red Cross.
The American Red Cross is a national organization and is not a hospital, as opposed to what others might think.
“We work with several hospitals all across the country and at least 26,000 hospital systems here in Southern California itself,” Boyd said.
The American Red Cross has a national blood supply which is intended to have a stable blood supply for wherever the need is greatest.
“To lead by example” Derek Oriee said, host of the blood drive, explaining his main motive for donating blood.
Some of the requirements to be eligible to donate blood include being in overall good health and weighing at least 110 pounds.
It is recommended that all donors prepare to have a successful donation by drinking plenty of water and having a good meal with iron rich foods, such as meat, fish or lentils.
The Red Cross Blood Drive occurs monthly in the ASB building. Walk-ins are available, but appointments are preferred.