CDC image

The Compassion Club at Iowa Mennonite School is putting together a blood drive. The donations will be helping the Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center, who is experiencing blood supply shortages. So far this winter there have been over 68 blood drives cancelled due to bad winter weather.

Spokesperson for the Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center Anna McFarland says a single donation can help in a variety of ways, “You’re potentially helping up to three people with that one donation. You’re really helping those local patients at our area hospitals who need that transfusion that goes to cancer patients, it goes to burn victims, trauma patients. Blood is always needed regardless of what’s going on with the weather and time of year. Just one person coming in over their lunch hour can impact numerous people and their family.”

According to McFarland, the process takes about an hour, with five minutes going toward blood withdrawal. The blood drive will be from 6:30-10:30 a.m. at Iowa Mennonite School.