Photo courtesy of New York Blood Center
The New York Mets and the New York Blood Center have joined forces to host their annual Summer Blood Drive, presented by NewYork-Presbyterian, on Monday, August 12, at the Piazza Club at Citi Field.
All donors for this purpose received a voucher for two tickets to a select Mets home game between Monday and Thursday during the 2024 season. Mr. Met was on hand to greet the more than 520 blood donors for their valuable gift.
“There’s nothing better than supporting the home team and enjoying a baseball game in the summer! We are grateful to the New York Mets for donating admission vouchers to help us find blood donors during this historically difficult time for the blood supply,” said Andrea Cefarelli, senior vice president of the New York Blood Center. “To all the Mets fans who donated blood today, your generosity is critical to the public health of the region and we hope you will make blood donation a lifelong habit.”
This blood drive came just one month after the New York Blood Center issued an urgent call for O+ and O- blood donations. Current supplies of O+ blood are at their lowest levels since the COVID-19 pandemic began. O+ blood is the most common blood type, representing nearly 40% of the U.S. population. O- blood is the universal blood type commonly used in emergency situations. Consequently, shortages of either type, both locally and nationally, can pose a serious problem for the healthcare system. This makes the need for donors all the more urgent.
The Mets and the New York Blood Center have partnered on blood drives for 12 years, and this latest drive was the 40th the two organizations have hosted together.
“I am proud to support two iconic organizations, the New York Blood Center and the New York Mets, in their long-standing commitment to good,” said Rep. Catalina Cruz. “I was thrilled to be there and see so many members of my community step up and show up for our home team – by donating life-saving blood during this critical time of need.”
Blood donors can donate once every 56 days and up to six times per year. To view current eligibility requirements for potential donors, click here or call 1-800-688-0900. Interested donors can schedule an appointment at a blood drive near them by calling 1-800-933-2566 or visiting nybc.org. Even those who are unable to donate blood can support the NYBC’s mission by texting “NYBC” to “20222” and donating $25.
