Starting Thursday, August 1st, all presenting blood donors will be entered to win a $100 gift card from Mel’s Downtown Creamery
CONNECTICUT – Connecticut Blood Center (CTBC) will be partnering with Mel’s Downtown Creamery to encourage blood donations during the critical late summer months. From Thursday, August 1st to Tuesday, September 10th, all presenting blood donors will be entered into a sweepstakes for a chance to win a $100 gift card from Mel’s Downtown Creamery. All mobile blood drives are participating in this initiative.
“Mel’s is thankful for our partnership with Connecticut Blood Center and to be able to encourage everyday people to be heroes by coming out, donating blood and saving lives,” said Mel Googin, Owner of Mel’s Downtown Creamery. “The kindness and compassion of the blood center staff is such a highlight to our donors and encourages them to make donating a habitual lifesaving commitment. Oh-and of course, the ice cream is a sweet reward too.”
August is a historically challenging time for the blood supply as summer travel, school breaks, and seasonal gatherings make blood donation less of a priority. CTBC recently issued an urgent call for type O+ and O- blood donations as the current inventory of type O blood is the lowest it’s been since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. This dangerous shortage is impacting local hospitals and part of a disturbing national trend, with type O shortages reported across the U.S.
“Connecticut Blood Center is grateful for our continued partnership and the generosity of Mel’s Downtown Creamery in supporting our mission and encouraging blood donations,” said Jonathan DeCasanova, Account Manager and Community Relations for Connecticut Blood Center. “We hope this fun incentive will inspire people to make an appointment, give the gift of life this summer, and beat the heat with a chance to win a gift card to Mel’s Downtown Creamery!”
Blood donors can give every 56 days. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently lifted several blood donor eligibility restrictions. To view current eligibility guidelines, visit ctblood.org or call 800.688.0900.
To make an appointment at a blood drive near you, donors can visit ctblood.org
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About Connecticut Blood Center
Connecticut Blood Center (CTBC) is part of a network of nonprofit, independent, community blood centers with more than five decades of experience saving lives by ensuring a safe and plentiful blood supply to the patients and hospitals we serve. CTBC is the primary supplier of blood and blood products to patients being cared for in over 11 Connecticut hospitals. We operate a hospital services blood storage depot from our Connecticut center to deliver urgent or unexpected orders quickly and reliably to local hospitals. CTBC is operated by Rhode Island Blood Center and is a Division of New York Blood Center, Inc. (a family of operating Divisions known as New York Blood Center Enterprises). We are also part of the National Marrow Donor Program, registering individuals throughout New England to become lifesaving stem cell donors for patients who need a trans-plant to survive. Our state-of-the-art laboratory, where blood donations are tested and processed, is headquartered at our sister center in Providence. For more information, visit ctblood.org.