Around the holidays, experts say it can be difficult to find people with the time and ability to donate blood.
On a mission to continue giving back to its grieving community, Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis once again stepped up this Black Friday, ensuring Memorial Blood Center’s truck was full of volunteers.
Jimmy Dunn, director of outreach and community life at Annunciation, said the blood donation efforts are about repaying those who rushed in to help on the day of the mass shooting over the summer. On Aug. 27, a shooter killed two children and injured dozens more.
Memorial Blood Center helped provide around 250 pints of blood to local hospitals treating survivors. Now, Dunn said, Annunciation’s community members are trying to donate that amount of blood in return to replenish the local supply in the Twin Cities.
“This is a ‘move your feet‘ type of project,” Dunn said, echoing the hopeful rallying cry of Annunciation Catholic School Principal Matthew DeBoer.
Organizers said that around 41 people had signed up to donate as of Friday morning, meaning just about every available timeslot was gone. People like Cecilia Kline, an Annunciation alum, rallied family and friends to join them in donating blood.
“Being with the community, being able to give back to the people who have given back to us is so rewarding,” Kline said.
The church parking lot was busy not just with blood donors on Friday, but with others purchasing Christmas trees and Girl Scout cookies. Dunn said parishioners are still adjusting in the wake of the tragedy.
“For better or worse, attention is focused on us,” Dunn said, “and in that opportunity, it’s to make light shine in the darkness.”
Jennifer Kaluza, executive director of blood operations, said that Annunciation’s efforts have helped drive the highest number of blood donors they’ve seen in years. She explained that donors have been hard to come by since the COVID-19 pandemic, and the holidays present an even steeper challenge.
Kaluza said reaching 250 pints of donated blood will help save hundreds of lives, and that each pint can help up to three people.
“This is a very real way that people can help their community and have a direct impact on those in need,” she said.
Dunn said that Annunciation intends to host another blood drive on Dec. 15, meaning the church should be able to reach the intended goal of 250 pints by the end of the year.
Conor Wight
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