Do two good deeds at once by donating a non-perishable food item when donating blood at a Courtenay blood donor clinic this holiday season.
In December, Canadian Blood Services will need 9,750 blood donors to give blood at clinics across the province and Food Banks British Columbia will need enough food to feed 70,000 people.
“The needs of both the blood bank and the food bank are great,” says Ed Yee, director of donor and clinic services for the B.C. and Yukon region of Canadian Blood Services. “But by rallying together, British Columbians can help fill up both of these banks at blood donor clinics across the province this December.”
Bleed and Feed food collection boxes will be at the front reception desk at all B.C. blood donor clinics from Dec. 1 to 31. Food collected at each clinic will go to that community’s local food bank. In Courtenay, food collected will be donated to the Comox Valley Food Bank.
Blood is not only needed for trauma victims over the holiday season, but for patients undergoing chemotherapy treatments, cardiac surgeries and organ transplants — procedures that all routinely take place around the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.
Donors can book appointments to give blood in one of two ways — by calling 1-888-2DONATE (1-888-236-6283) or by booking online at blood.ca.
Clinics in Courtenay (Florence Filberg Centre, 411 Anderton Ave.) include:
• Dec. 6, 12:30 to 7:30 p.m.
• Dec. 7, noon to 8 p.m.
• Dec. 8, 11:45 a.m. to 6:45 p.m.
For more information on Canadian Blood Services, visit www.blood.ca. To learn more about your local food bank, visit www.foodbanksbc.ca.
— Canadian Blood Services