Blood drive posts high donor numbers first two days, could top 500 total

The Puget Sound Blood Center blood drive taking place now on campus has posted high numbers for the first couple of days, said Catharine Vader, from Western Washington University's Prevention and Wellness Services.

On Tuesday, the first day of the drive, 168 people donated blood. On Wednesday, that number had jumped to 171, for a two-day total of 339. The three-day drive has never hit 500 donors at WWU, Vader said, but just 161 donors are needed today to make that happen.

The drive takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today in Viking Union Room 565 and at the Mini Mobile at Red Square near the Humanities Building.

Volunteer donors can aid as many as three patients with only one pint of blood, and it takes 900 donors a day to fill the needed supply in the Puget Sound region alone. The success of the campus Quarterly Blood Drive ranks Western as one of the largest donor groups in the Puget Sound region.

Donors must be at least 18 years old, 110 pounds, and not have received a tattoo in the last year. New and returning donors are welcome, and all are encouraged to bring friends along as well. Eat a healthy meal and drink plenty of fluids prior to donating. The entire process takes less than an hour, and free juice and cookies are offered following donation. To avoid a line, come on the first day or early in the morning. The entire process takes about an hour and the actual donation process is only seven minutes.

For more information on the Western Blood Drive please contact Vader at (360) 650-7557.