W.R. Fire Department hosting blood drive today
The Wading River Fire Department is hosting a blood drive from 3 to 9 p.m. today at the department firehouse.
Each donor will be entered into a raffle to win brunch for two at Desmond’s of East Wind Caterers in Wading River, compliments of East Wind, as well as the chance to win Super Bowl tickets.
New York Blood Center, which is running the drive, will also put donors names in a sweepstakes to win one pair of tickets to Super Bowl XLVIII, valued at $2,500, according to a release from the center.
Anyone who donates blood at the center or a drive hosted by the center will be put in the sweepstakes until Jan. 17, according to the release.
Donations take about six to 10 minutes, and donors give about a pint of blood. An average adult has about 10 pints of blood, according to the National Institutes of Health.
That single pint of blood can help save as many as three lives, according to the Red Cross.
New York Blood Centers is always seeking O-negative blood type donors, which are universal. Only seven percent of people in the U.S. have O-negative blood type, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Donors must be at least 16 years old, weighing at least 110 pounds and cannot have gotten a tattoo in the past 12 months, according to the center. Children under 17 must have parental permission to donate. Donors must bring a photo ID.
Those wishing to donate who cannot make it tonight can schedule a donation at 1149 Old Country Road in Riverhead by calling 1-800-933-2566.
