Blood Donors Will Receive Restaurant Gift Card

Sept. 5 & 6, 2014

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Community Blood Services is currently experiencing a shortage of volunteer donors, especially Type O negative and platelet donors. Donors who schedule their donations at a New Jersey donor center on September 5 or 6 to help alleviate the ongoing blood shortage will be offered a �thank you� restaurant gift card.

Any blood, platelet or plasma donor who helps rebuild the post-Labor Day blood supply by donating Friday, September 5 at the Paramus or Montvale donor center, or Saturday, September 6 at the Paramus or Lincoln Park centers, will receive a gift card redeemable at a number of popular restaurant chains, including Olive Garden, Red Lobster, Longhorn Steakhouse and Capital Grill.

�Blood shortages are most common at this time of year because of people�s busy summer schedules, vacations, and getting ready to go back to school,� said Karen Ferriday, director of community affairs at Community Blood Services. �A gift card to use at a favorite restaurant is one way we can thank our donors for taking time out of their busy schedules to make a life-giving donation.�

Donors can call 201-251-3703 for hours and locations or click here. They can also call to schedule an appointment or click here to schedule online. Whole blood donors can also walk in but an appointment is needed to donate platelets. You can also schedule online at www.communitybloodservices.com.

O negative donors are urgently needed because this blood type is in most demand by local hospitals. As the universal blood type, it can be transfused to any patient in need regardless of their own blood type. Platelets are needed to treat patients diagnosed with cancer or other blood disorders and plasma is needed to treat burn victims and trauma patients.

Whole blood donors must be 17-75 years old (16 years old with parental consent) and weigh at least 110 pounds. All donors will receive a complimentary mini-physical, including non-fasting cholesterol and glucose screening and blood pressure.

Community Blood Service is a not-for-profit organization that provides blood and blood products to more than 18 hospitals in New Jersey and New York, including Hackensack University Medical Center, St. Joseph�s Healthcare System in Paterson/Wayne and The Valley Hospital in Ridgewood.