Kentucky Blood Center & WKYT kick off two-day blood drive

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – The Kentucky Blood Center is partnering with WKYT for a two-day blood drive. It kicked off Wednesday morning.

Staff at KBC said that for the first time in a while last week their blood supply was really low. They said the blood drive comes at a perfect time when they need to refill the shelves.

“Whatever your motivation is, we need you right now,” said Eric Lindsey with the Kentucky Blood Center.

Lindsey said, overall, they’re pleased with the amount of donors who came through this summer. However, they hit a lull over the holiday weekend.

“The blood supply is not great and these next two days are really important to dig us out of this Labor Day hole,” said Lindsey.

There are several blood center locations participating in the drive. They include the center in Frankfort as well as the Beaumont and Andover locations in Lexington. They’re all open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

“Whether it’s someone dealing with cancer, somebody that’s involved in a trauma or a premature birth you’re going to be saving real lives in this community,” said Lindsey.

John Marcum said he’s been a donor for at least 30 years.

“It’s a small thing to do to help people,” said Marcum.

Marcum said he’s happy to be a part of this blood drive. He said he encourages others to spend one hours of their day making a difference.

“I just always thought it was a way that I could do something that I didn’t have to shell out a lot of money or go way out of my way to help people.”

There are fun incentives for people who participate. KBC is giving out t-shirts, Chick-Fil-A gift cards and more.

“For an hour, I can’t think of something that could mean more to this community,” said Lindsey.

KBC and WKYT’s goal is to get 300 donors by the end of the blood drive on Thursday. Lindsey said the lives of 900 Kentuckians could be impacted.

To schedule an appointment you can head to https://www.kybloodcenter.org/.

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