Red Cross to incentivize Independence Day blood donations

Rochester, New York – The Red Cross sees about a 21% dip in blood donations during holiday weeks.

When donations drop, so does the blood supply, leaving some hospitals struggling to meet demand and ensure blood is available for those who need it.

The Red Cross is offering tote bags made of recycled cotton to anyone that donates between June 30 and July 10, in order to thank donors who make time to give during the upcoming July 4 holiday week.

The incentive is a national effort to get people through the doors of local drives.

During this period, dozens of drives are happening in the greater Rochester area.

Available drives include but are not limited to:

• Thursday, June 30 — Rochester General Health System in East Irondequoit, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Thursday, June 30 — Westside Family WMCA in Rochester, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
• Friday, July 1 — Perinton Blood Donation Center on Pittsford Palmyra Road, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Saturday, July 2 — Rochester Public Market, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Tuesday, July 5 — Penfield Volunteer Emergency Ambulance in Penfield, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
• Thursday, July 7 — University of Rochester Medical Center Café 601, 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• Saturday, July 9 — Henrietta Public Library, 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

A full list of drives in this period and any other can be seen on RedCrossBlood.org.