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Blood Banks See Donation Spike After Annunciation Tragedy
This story has been updated from an earlier version to include donation numbers
As 18 people recover after Wednesday’s shootings at Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, local blood centers are seeking more donations.
Memorial Blood Centers declared a blood emergency in Minnesota earlier this month, meaning the state’s blood supply is dangerously low. That was declared before the tragedy in Minneapolis.
MBC Executive Director Jennifer Kaluza said the organization provided 252 blood products to local hospitals in response to the shootings. While that supply came from previous donations, Kaluza said the community response has been almost overwhelming. People are coming in to donate at a high volume.
“The event itself is obviously tragic and horrible, but it is encouraging to see people respond in such a positive way, and be proactive about doing something to help,” Kaluza said.
A Memorial Blood Centers employee helps a donor. Nearly every donation station was full on Friday morning at Memorial Blood Centers’ Plymouth location.
If you are able to donate, there are a few ways to do so through the American Red Cross and Memorial Blood Centers. MBC has locations in Maple Grove and Plymouth. The Red Cross is also holding drives throughout the region.
A full list of Red Cross drives are available on its website. Locally, there is a drive at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Robbinsdale on Friday, Aug. 29 from noon until 5 p.m.
Memorial Blood Centers has a number of locations in the Twin Cities, including ones in Maple Grove and Plymouth. You can find locations and schedule an appointment on MBC’s website.
Kaluza said MBC is on standby in case more blood is needed. The Red Cross said in a statement that it hadn’t received any requests for blood products in response to this tragedy.
