OSHKOSH (NBC 26) — Friday kicked off the third annual Season of Giving blood drive in Oshkosh.
The Community Blood Center for Northeastern Wisconsin says the holiday season is a time when donations are down, but the need for blood is up.
The drive continues with events Saturday in Appleton, Green Bay and Wausau.
First-time donors will receive a gift at the drive, and all the blood collected stays local.
The Oshkosh Community Foundation also gave grants to the Community Food Pantry and Boys and Girls Club for every person who came through the door Friday.
"Every blood donation saves up to three people's lives," said Heidi Dusek, executive director of The Community Blood Center for Northeastern Wisconsin. "We’ve had a number of stories of patients who have received transfusions and it’s because that our blood is available at the time that they need it."
NBC 2C photojournalist Matt Kohls visited the drive Friday — his video above shows more details about Friday and Saturday's blood drives.
The locations of Saturday's events are available here.
