KAY Club will be hosting a blood drive in collaboration with American Red Cross next Wednesday, Oct. 9 in the FEMA shelter. 

KAY holds a blood drive every year and so far has held a total of 26 blood drives in collaboration with American Red Cross. They have collected 1,336 units of blood and they collect an average of 51 units per drive. 

Adelyn Heuer who is a member of KAY said to sign up for a time slot students should talk to her or Dan Loving, the KAY sponsor. 

“We can register them with some basic information: first and last name, email, phone number and birthday,” Heuer said. 

It is not too late to sign up and students can even come in that day to see if any time slots are still available if they decide they wish to donate. 

Signing up is easy; however, there are many restrictions and requirements for donating blood that students should look over before deciding to sign up. These requirements can be found on Redcrossblood.org.

For students who are planning to donate and have already selected a time slot, there are a few important things to remember to prepare before donation and for the day of. 

“ They need to make sure they eat a lot and drink a lot the night before and the day of,” Loving said. “ On the day of (donation) they need to drink lots of water and eat iron rich foods, which Oreos are one they say, so that’s helpful.” 

Loving said the main reason students get turned away on the day of donation is because they have low blood iron levels because students don’t always eat good in the morning. 

Donating blood can be intimidating, but Heuer said there are plenty of people around to support you if you are nervous or it is your first time donating. 

“It’s not really nerve wracking at all and everyone is super laid back,” Heuer said. “There’s plenty of people there to support you so there is no need for anxiety.”

With anxieties out of the way, donation is a simple and important process in which students have the opportunity to give to someone in need across the country. 

“You are doing a good thing for someone other than yourself and there is a critical need throughout the country for blood,” Loving said. “Kansas is actually a net-export state when it comes to blood which means it collects more blood than it uses. The blood ends up going to other places a lot of the time which is helpful for places that need it.”