Donor need urgent over holiday period

The American Red Cross is making an urgent plea for blood donors to cover the typical holiday shortage.

A blood drive will be held today from 2:30-7:30 p.m. at Christ Our Shepherd Lutheran Church in Peachtree City on Peachtree Parkway just north of Ga. Highway 54. Tomorrow in Fayetteville a blood drive will be operated at Southern Community Bank in Fayetteville from noon-5 p.m. To schedule an appointment at either blood drive, call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE (1-800-448-3543).

The Red Cross gets approximately 20 percent of its regular donations from people who give at blood drives hosted by schools, said spokeswoman Cammie Barnes.

Normally the Red Cross needs about 6,000 people to give blood each week. This week and for the next two weeks, roughly 1,500 people have signed up to donate blood, Barnes noted.

“During most other times of the year when we run low on specific types, we are able to import blood from other parts of the country,” Barnes said. “Unfortunately, during the holidays other parts of the country are short as well.”

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