The American Red Cross encourages eligible donors to end the year with real meaning by donating blood for hospital patients in need.
Holiday activities, severe weather and seasonal illnesses, like the flu, can pull people away from their regular blood donation schedules. This creates a greater need for blood donations this time of year, especially around the winter holidays. To encourage donations, all those who come to donate Dec. 23, 2015, through Jan. 3, 2016, will get a long-sleeve Red Cross T-shirt, while supplies last.
Jamie Czesak made her first blood donation on Dec. 27, 2013. “As I spent Christmas with my family, I realized how lucky I was to have my health and how we never really know when our last Christmas will be. I decided that I would face my fears and do one of the few things I can do to help save someone’s life — donate blood.”
Healthy donors with all blood types are needed, especially those with types AB, O, B negative and A negative. To make an appointment to donate blood, download the free Red Cross Blood Donor App from app stores, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800- RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). Donors can now use the Blood Donor App to access their donor card and view vital signs from previous donations.
Upcoming blood donation opportunities:
Central New Jersey Donor Center
707 Alexander Road, Suite 701, Princeton Township Mondays: 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. (platelet pheresis)
Tuesdays: 12:30-7:30 p.m. (whole blood and platelet pheresis)
Fridays: 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. (whole blood and platelet pheresis)
Saturdays: 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. (whole blood)
Dec. 20: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Central Jer- sey Volleyball Academy, 97 River Road, Flemington Dec. 31: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., St. James Church, New Year’s Eve, 17 Eglantine Ave., Pennington
Dec. 26: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Muslim Community of New Jersey, 15 South 2nd St., Fords Dec. 31: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Dunkin Donuts, 801 Green St., Iselin
Dec. 20: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Singh Sabha Temple, 941 Port Reading Ave., Port Reading
Dec. 19: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church, 1 Phalanx Road, Colts Neck
Dec. 23: 3-8 p.m., Memorial Elementary School, 485 Adelphia Road, Freehold
Dec. 30: 12-5 p.m., Jersey Coast Chapter of the American Red Cross, 1540 W. Park Ave., Tinton Falls
Jackson Township
Dec. 26: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Ocean County Library Jackson Branch, 2 Jackson Drive, Jackson Dec. 16: 2-7 p.m., TR Hotel, 290 Route 37 East, Toms River
Dec. 24: 7 a.m. to 12 p.m., Ramada Inn, 2737 Route 9, Toms River
Dec. 30: 2-7 p.m., Ocean County Library, 101 Washington St., Toms River
How to donate blood
Download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733- 2767) to make an appointment or for more information. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age (16 with parental consent in some states), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements. Blood donors can now save time at their next donation by using RapidPass to complete their predonation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of their donation, prior to arriving at the blood drive. To get started, visit redcrossblood.org/RapidPass and follow the instructions on the site.
About the American Red Cross
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, visit redcross.org.