Red Cross seeks blood donors this fall, lists area drives

FOX23 News at 9 p.m.

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo., (KBSI) — The American Red Cross is asking people of all blood types to schedule blood or platelet donations in the coming weeks to help maintain the supply hospitals rely on.

People who come to give from Sept. 21 through Oct. 18 will receive a $15 electronic gift card to a merchant of their choice, according to the Red Cross. Donors who give at a Red Cross donation center through Sept. 30 can also receive a pickleball paddle and ball while supplies last by mentioning “pickleball” to staff or volunteers.

Upcoming donation opportunities include:

Missouri

Sept. 22: Cape Girardeau Blood Donation Center, noon to 6:45 p.m.
Sept. 28: Chaffee High School, 1 to 6 p.m.; Trinity Lutheran Church in Altenburg, 1:30 to 5:30 p.m.; Marquand Zion High School, noon to 5:30 p.m.; Elks Lodge in Pilot Knob, 12:30 to 5:30 p.m.
Sept. 29: Cape Girardeau Career and Tech Center, 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.; St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Sikeston, 2 to 6 p.m.; Greenville High School, 1 to 5 p.m.; Zalma High School, 3 to 7 p.m.
Sept. 30: Nell Holcomb School in Cape Girardeau, 2 to 6 p.m.; Campbell Elementary Gym Building, noon to 6 p.m.
Oct. 1: Van Buren High School, noon to 5 p.m.; Knights of Columbus in Fredericktown, 12:30 to 5:30 p.m.; Montgomery Bank in Sikeston, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Oct. 2: Charleston High School, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Scott County Central High School in Sikeston, 1 to 5 p.m.
Oct. 5: Guardian Angel Parish School in Oran, 1:30 to 5:30 p.m.; Missouri Department of Transportation in Sikeston, 8 a.m. to noon; Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Dexter, 12:30 to 5:30 p.m.

Illinois

Oct. 6: Shawnee Amish Church in Campbell Hill, 2 to 7 p.m.; St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Carbondale, 1:30 to 5:30 p.m.

The Cape Girardeau Blood Donation Center, 20 S. Mount Auburn Road, also has appointments available on Sept. 25-29 and Oct. 2-4 and 6.

Donors can find available appointments and full drive details at RedCrossBlood.org, through the Red Cross Blood Donor App or by calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767). Details on the gift card offer are available at RedCrossBlood.org/Fall.