A Battle of the Badges Blood Drive is set for noon to five Wednesday at the Salem Community Activity Center.
The Marion County Sheriff’s Department and Salem Police are matched against the Salem Fire Protection District and United Medical Response to see which can collect the most units of blood in their name to win the traveling trophy for a year.
The blood drive comes at a critical time for the Red Cross. Zach Ellmore says a national appeal is currently underway as blood donations dropped 20,000 units below goal in May and 17,000 in July.
“We are not able to provide that blood supply or collect that blood as anticipated, our supply begins to be used faster than it can be replenished and this could lead to prolonged periods of that critical and emergency needs. So patients and hospitals may not be getting all of the blood they are currently needing. It’s very important for us to keep giving them as much as we possibly can.”
Elmore says you can make an appointment for Wednesday’s blood drive at RedCrossBlood.org or by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS. You can also go to the Salem Community Center and make a donation without an appointment.
