Blood drive comes to Columbia County June 26

The Columbia River PUD and American Red Cross are holding their next county-based blood donation drive later this month at the CRPUD office. Columbia River PUD’s Community and Public Relations Specialist Kyle Boggs said, “Columbia River PUD has hosted blood drives for many years, and it’s something we like to do to give people the opportunity to come out and donate to a good cause. Over the last two to three years we have upped the frequency of them and now do them quarterly so people have a place they can reliably donate on a regular basis.”

According to the local chapter of the American Red Cross, this fiscal year (beginning July 1, 2024) the Oregon and SW Washington region will collect more than 190,000 units of blood, supplying 65 hospitals in the northwest. On average, someone needs blood every two seconds in this country, and blood has a shelf life of only 42 days.

The organization relies on donors to maintain this level of supply and encourages people to donate now or include donation opportunities as part of their summer plans. “Traditionally we see a drop in blood donations in the summertime because of a reduction in school blood drives, summer vacations, and increased travel,” said Red Cross Cascades Communications Director Rebecca Marshall. “Plus, the need for blood in hospitals often goes up this time of year because of a rise in trauma injuries. Type-O blood and platelets are needed the most, but the Red Cross welcomes all blood types to help support our local hospitals.”

Appointments are currently available for Thursday, June 26 donations from 12:30 - 6 p.m. and for Thursday, Aug. 14, from 12:30 - 6 p.m. People interested in donating are recommended to reserve an appointment time in advance via the Red Cross website (redcross.org). The process takes an hour and it is recommended to drink extra water and eat added protein.

“Those who come to give June 1-30, 2025, will get a $15 Amazon.com gift card by email and will be automatically entered for a chance to win one of two $7,000 gift cards,” said Marshall. Terms apply. Visit RedCrossBlood.org/June for more details.

The Columbia River PUD is located at 64001 Columbia River Hwy in Deer Island. To book a donation time, visit redcrossblood.org/give.html/find-drive.