Courtesy of LIFELINE Blood Services
LIFELINE Blood Services is challenging first-time donors to step up and has released a list of its April 2021 public blood drives.
LIFELINE is in dire, dire need of donors. Its numbers are down in ways people who have worked there for decades have never seen. If there is anything you can do that goes beyond what you normally do for them, please let them know. They need new donors and lapsed donors to come save lives!
Every single day, LIFELINE Blood Services has a crucial goal to meet—one that literally means life or death for people here in West Tennessee. As the sole supplier of blood to 17 hospitals and 14 air ambulances across 20 counties, the blood bank needs a constant supply of donors to meet demand. While a committed donor can give many gallons over his or her lifetime, it is difficult to find new donors willing to give blood donation a try—something that needs to change sooner than later.
“People who have never donated blood before give a variety of reasons,” said Caitlin Roach, Marketing Manager for LIFELINE. “Some do cite a fear of needles, but more often than that, I hear them saying that they simply haven’t ever thought about it or taken the time to try it.”
While various health issues can lead to both permanent and temporary deferrals for donating blood, statistics show that of those who are eligible, only around 5% donate each year. Donors can only give every eight weeks due to the time needed to replace red cells in their bodies, so many donors are needed to keep West Tennessee supplied with blood.
“We respect that you might be intimidated at the thought of donating,” said Roach. “But we ask you to think about it a little differently. Take pride in the thought of doing something good—your single blood donation can save as many as three lives.”
One of the best things first-time donors can do to have a good experience is to be prepared. Read about the donation process and fill out your medical questionnaire
online the day you donate. Drink plenty of water before you come in, and make sure to have eaten a hearty meal with iron-rich foods such as red meat, beans, or spinach before donating.
“You never know when someone you love will need blood, or even when you may need it yourself,” said Roach. “You will want it to be there, though, when it’s needed, and that only happens from donors stepping up and providing our supply. Give blood donation a try—you’ll feel so rewarded.”
To learn more about LIFELINE Blood Services, call 731.427.4431 or visit lifelinebloodserv.org.
The following are the dates, time and locations of the blood drives:
Thursday, April 1
Paris:
- First United Methodist Church – 12 pm to 6 pm
Huntingdon:
- Cash Saver – 1 pm to 6 pm
Friday, April 2
Newbern:
- Food Rite – 12:30 pm to 5:30 pm Martin:
- Wal-Mart – 12:30 pm to 5:30 pm
Ripley:
- Wal-Mart – 12:30 pm to 5:30 pm
Saturday, April 3
Union City:
- Lowe’s – 10 am to 2 pm
Monday, April 5
Parsons:
- UT Martin Parsons Center – 12 pm to 6 pm
Lexington:
- First United Methodist Church – 1 pm to 6 pm
Alamo:
- Crockett County Courthouse – 1 pm to 6 pm
Tuesday, April 6
Trenton:
- Gibson County Courthouse – 12 pm to 5:30 pm
Halls:
- First Baptist Church – 2 pm to 6 pm
Wednesday, April 7
Jackson:
- USJ (Upper School) – 1 pm to 4 pm
Savannah:
- TVEC – 12 pm to 6 pm
Union City:
- Lake Road Elementary School – 1 pm to 6 pm
Thursday, April 8
Adamsville:
- Adamsville Elementary School – 12:30 pm to 5:30 pm
Friday, April 9
Dyer:
- Dyer School – 1 pm to 6 pm
Milan:
- Save-A-Lot – 1 pm to 6 pm
Saturday, April 10
Selmer:
- Wal-Mart – 10 am to 2 pm
Monday, April 12
Martin:
- EW James & Sons – 12 pm to 6 pm
Selmer:
- Selmer Courthouse – 12 pm to 6 pm
Tuesday, April 13
Hornsby:
- Hornsby Elementary School – 12 pm to 5 pm
Kenton:
- Kenton Elementary School – 12:30 pm to 5:30 pm
Wednesday, April 14
Somerville:
- First Baptist Church – 12 pm to 6 pm
Medina:
- Englewood North – 3 pm to 7 pm
Thursday, April 15
Huntingdon:
- Baptist Memorial Hospital of Carroll County – 2 pm to 5 pm
Dyersburg:
- First United Methodist Church – 12 pm to 6 pm
Friday, April 16
Scotts Hill:
- Piggly Wiggly – 1 pm to 6 pm
Brownsville:
- First United Methodist Church – 2 pm to 6 pm
Sunday, April 18
Somerville:
- Victory Life Church – 8:30 am to 12:30 pm
Monday, April 19
Erin:
- Cleghorn’s Piggly Wiggly – 12:30 pm to 5:30 pm
Camden:
- First Baptist Church – 1 pm to 6 pm
Henderson:
- West Chester Elementary School – 1 pm to 5 pm
Tuesday, April 20
McKenzie:
- McKenzie Banner Newspaper – 12 pm to 5 pm
Henderson:
- Piggly Wiggly – 1 pm to 6 pm
Wednesday, April 21
Savannah:
- First Responders at Fire Station #12 – 12 pm to 6 pm
Friday, April 23
Parsons:
- Food Giant – 12:30 pm to 5:30 pm
Greenfield:
- Tate Family Foods – 12:30 pm to 5:30 pm
Lexington:
- Save-A-Lot – 12:30 pm to 5:30 pm
Sunday, April 25
Jackson:
- Fellowship Bible Church – 8:30 am to 12:30 pm
Monday, April 26
Middleton:
- Middleton Elementary School – 12:30 pm to 4:30 pm
Dresden:
- EW James & Sons – 12:30 pm to 5:30 pm
Union City:
- EW James & Sons – 1 pm to 7 pm
Tuesday, April 27
Medina:
- South Gibson High School – 9:30 am to 2 pm
Paris:
- Henry County Medical Center – 11 am to 4 pm
Wednesday, April 28
Savannah:
- Hardin County High School – 8:30 am to 12 pm; 12:30 pm to 2:30 pm
Thursday, April 29
Medina:
- South Gibson Middle School – 12 pm to 6 pm
Friday, April 30
Trezevant:
- Centennial Bank – 1 pm to 5 pm