Spirit of Faith church will be sponsoring a blood drive on April 12 at the Woonsocket Community Center. Vitalant, formerly United Blood Services, urges donors to check their eligibility for donating.

Did you know that only five percent of the population donates blood to meet 100 percent of patient blood needs?  Misconceptions are a big reason why more people don’t donate blood but new donors are always in high demand.

“It’s surprising to hear the reasons why many people think they can’t donate, and most often it’s due to outdated or misunderstood information,” said senior donor recruitment representative, Katie Bartelson.  “We encourage anyone who thinks they can’t donate blood to give us a call and find out more.  With every donation we can save up to three lives.  Think of the impact we can have if more people were willing and able to give!”

While much more goes in to qualifying a donor to safely give blood, there are many common instances when people assume they can’t give blood but generally is not disqualifying.  Some of these include taking medication including blood pressure, cholesterol, or anti-depressants, traveling outside the U.S., getting a tattoo or piercing or having a history of cancer.

Potential donors are encouraged to call Vitalant to find out if they are eligible to donate blood.  Your next opportunity to give will be April 12 at the Woonsocket Community Center from 12:30 to 6 p.m. Contact Julie Davis at 605-495-4218 to make an appointment or call Vitalant at 877-25-VITAL for more information.