The American Red Cross is urging people to seek out local blood drives to help shore up the blood supply.
Kimberly Vosseteig is executive director of Eastern North Dakota Northwest Minnesota chapter of the American Red Cross. She says they are always in need of blood, even though current supplies are pretty good. She says it’s never a bad idea to have an excess supply – and the local community always shows up.
She says blood donations from this area go to a distribution center in Saint Cloud, and donors can follow their donations on the Red Cross app.
"You can actually follow where your blood goes, and you get an email and alert on your app that it was delivered to such-and-such hospital, which is something really cool that you know it's used. It was put to work, and potentially saves someone's life. And it gives you that, oh my gosh, I did make an impact."
Vosseteig says those who give blood, platelets or plasma between now and October 19 will receive a ten dollar Amazon gift card. She says those interested in local drives can go to RedCrossBlood.org.
Vosseteig says that while it is good supplies are currently sufficient, all it takes is one event like a hurricane or other disaster for the supply to be strained.