Blood donations needed during holidays

The South Bend Medical Foundation says donors are needed during the holidays.

While demand for blood usually goes up during the season, donations do not.

“This is the time of the year where people are busy, their schedules are busy,” Mary Ankrapp, blood donation recruitment supervisor said.

Ankrapp says holiday activities usually take up the donors’ time, but holiday stress can also cause the medical need for more blood.

“People are trying to fill in their surgeries by the end of the year. This also is a stressful time for a lot of people, and we find there’s a lot more heart complications that often need blood too,” Ankrapp said.

The foundation has even added an extra incentive this weekend, with a raffle for televisions.

“If you donate, your name goes into a drawing, and then on Monday, we’re going to draw two winners, and each winner will receive a 32-inch HD TV,” Ankrapp said.

Win or lose, it’s a holiday gift that’s free to give.

“This is something that doesn’t cost you anything, and you can make an amazing impact on a family,” Ankrapp said.