Around 250 blood donors gave of themselves in Merrill last Thursday during the 21st annual MASH blood drive.
“We hoped for 200-plus people, so we’re very pleased with this turnout, and thankful for everyone who helped make the blood drive successful,” said Angela Brumm, spokesperson for Community Blood Center. “It is a great boost as we head into the final weeks of summer!”
This large community drive is an effort to boost blood donations at the end of summer. Camouflage, dog tags, and olive drab create a fun atmosphere.
“The MASH blood drive is a chance to get outside and have fun,” Brumm said. “The donors seem to love it.”
Community Blood Center pulled a staff of about 25 from as far as Woodruff and Appleton to the Merrill MASH drive, assisted by about 20 local volunteers.
Community Blood Center also holds weekly blood collections at Ministry Good Samaritan Health Center. The weekly drives are held on Mondays in the Menard Center behind the hospital.
“Merrill is very supportive of blood donation in general,” Brumm said. “We have a lot of returning blood donors who are very faithful.”
Lori Ermeling of Merrill was a returning blood donor, who also regularly donates at work at Pine Crest Nursing Home.
“I like to open air out here,” she said of the MASH drive, “and it’s such a nice setting.”
While the need for blood remains constant at the 18 hospitals supplied by Community Blood Center, donations typically drop during the summer, Brumm said. About 15 percent of their donations come from college and high school blood drive, which aren’t held during the summer months. The MASH drives help fill that void, she said.
“The need for blood never goes away,” she said.
The outdoor setting at Kitchenette Park is ideal for the MASH drive, Brumm said. The drive was formerly held at the Lincoln County Courthose, until construction at the courthouse forced them to find a new location a few years ago.
More than 2,500 people have donated at the Merrill MASH Blood Drive since 1999.
Since 1955, the Community Blood Center has worked with volunteer blood donors to provide a steady, reliable blood supply for hospitals. Today, the blood center remains a nonprofit organization committed to serving hospital patients. The blood center is also a donor center with the National Marrow Donor Program, facilitating transplants for patients with life-threatening diseases.