Vitalant’s MLK Day of Service ends critical need for blood, for now
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. - Vitalant's MLK Day of Service blood drive was a huge success.
Our KEYT NewsChannel 3 crew stopped by the Santa Barbara location off upper State Street early Monday afternoon to see the turn-out.
Employees told us that on average, 20 people come through the doors each day to donate blood. Some days, a total of 10 might drop in. By 12:30 p.m. Monday, nearly 40 donors had come through, rolling up their sleeves and donating blood or platelets.
"I've been the recipient so it's nice to be able to come and hopefully provide for some other people." said Azalia Pena, a resident from Carpinteria.
By late afternoon, the Santa Barbara and Santa Maria facilities had 60 donors stop in; there were 42 in San Luis Obispo and 45 in Ventura for a rough total of 150 donors on the Holiday Monday. A big jump from last year! The MLK Day of Service in 2019 saw a total of 113 at all three local county locations.
Numbers linked to this year's event are expected to go up.
"We were on what's called 'a critical need' which we are not on anymore, thanks to the support of the community. Over the last couple of weeks people have really stepped up," said Diane Frantela, Donor Recruitment Representative for Vitalant.
Even people who tend to be anemic are able to donate. Vitalant employees check a potential donor's hemoglobin counts first with a simple finger prick.
"If it's low you can't donate but today mine was high so I was able to donate," said Sarah Maugaotega, a producer for KEYT NewsChannel 3, who gave a thumbs up and a big smile.
"This is just a really easy thing to do and I've had a number of friends who've dealt with cancer," said Chris Bell, a resident of Santa Barbara. "And, I currently have a nephew that's had a major accident so I just thought it was really important to come out here, you know, do what I can. It's the simplest thing for me to do."
Frantla said every two seconds, someone needs blood; the need is always there.
"95 to 98% of the blood we collect in our centers and blood drives go to our local hospitals in San Luis Obispo County, Santa Barbara County and Ventura," Frantela said.
Blood donated locally helps in a variety of scenarios, including mother and childbirth, heart procedures, trauma surgery, joint surgeries and countless cancer patients.
For more information, click on the following link: https://www.vitalant.org/Home.aspx
