Oklahoma Blood Institute will hold a blood drive with United Supermarket in Kingfisher next week.

The blood drive will be 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, July 20.

Each blood donor will receive a t-shirt and a voucher for free admission to their choice of Frontier City, Science Museum Oklahoma,  or Safari Joe’s H2O Water & Adventure Park in Tulsa.

“Summer is a particularly challenging time for the blood supply,” said John Armitage, M.D., Oklahoma Blood Institute president and CEO. “We are so proud to partner with fantastic local attractions and they have generously provided us another way to thank our donors for their life-saving gifts.”

Oklahoma Blood Institute relies on donations from approximately 1,200 donors each day  to meet the needs of patients statewide.  One blood donation can save as many as three lives, Armitage said.

Only 10 percent of people in the United States who are eligible to give blood actually do, he added.

Whole blood can be donated every 56 days. Platelet donations can be made as often as every seven days, up to 24 times a year.  

 If donors opt not to take the t-shirt, Oklahoma Blood Institute will make a monetary donation to Global Blood Fund for blood center assistance in developing countries.

As a non-profit blood center, Oklahoma Blood Institute’s generous donors provide every drop of blood needed for patients in more than 160 hospitals, medical facilities, and air ambulances statewide.