MARSHALL, Minn. — The American Red Cross is urging Minnesotans to donate blood as supplies typically decline during the busy summer months.
“We are really depending on Minnesotans to come out and give,” said Minnesota Red Cross spokeswoman Sue Thesenga.
Thesenga emphasized the importance of consistent donations. “The Red Cross needs to collect more than 13,000 blood donations every day,” she said, noting the organization is the nation’s largest provider of blood products and services to 2,600 hospitals nationwide.
“You can safely donate blood every 56 days. So, a lot of times donors donate once or twice a year, and that is fabulous, but if they donated more regularly and more often, that would probably help us avoid situations like we’re in now,” she added.
A local opportunity to give is scheduled for Tuesday, June 24, 2025, at St. Stephen Lutheran, 1301 South Fourth Street in Marshall, MN. Blood donations will be accepted from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM.
A local opportunity to give is scheduled for Tuesday, June 3, at the MERIT Center, 1001 Erie Rd in Marshall, MN. Donations will be accepted from 9:00 AM to 1:30 PM.
Both whole blood and Power Red donations will be accepted. Whole blood donations typically take about an hour and involve giving approximately one pint. Power Red donations collect red blood cells while returning most of the plasma and platelets to the donor, and are open to eligible donors with type A Neg, B Neg, or O blood.
To find a local donation site, visit redcrossblood.org.
