Blood donors are needed locally and there is no age limit for a healthy donor.
"There is a misconception that senior citizens should not be blood donors, but there is really no age limit," said Elizabeth Cunningham, regional director of LifeShare.
"Blood donors can be any age as long as they are overall healthy. We have people in their 80s who are regular blood donors and we have had some before in their 90s," Cunningham said.
Donations have dropped in recent weeks, Cunningham said, but are needed more than ever.
"When the pandemic first moved into our region, we saw a tremendous outpouring of support from our blood donors," Cunningham said. "Since then, we've seen a decline in the number of people giving blood while at the same time, hospitals are beginning to address their backlog of elective procedures."
Anybody donating blood will give a medical history and have a quick physical.
Some issues that would disqualify someone of any age from giving blood are having low iron or weighing under 110 pounds.
Snacks will be provided after the donation.
After donating blood, the fluid is replaced within hours and the red blood cells within four weeks. It takes eight weeks to restore the iron lost after donating, according to LifeShare.
For more information, visit lifeshare.org or call 903-794-3174