At the close of June 2019, the Red Cross announced the success of a major blood drive that encouraged some 300,000 donors over the course of three weeks to contribute to helping the nation maintain its critical blood supply. About 40,000 of these contributions came from new donors, a significant increase. Branded as the Missing Types campaign, this effort called on donors with every blood type to fill blood supply shortages in communities around the country.
At the end of the three-week milestone in this campaign, the Red Cross continued its call for blood donors, noting that only about 3 percent of Americans regularly contribute blood, and that summer months tend to see reduced supplies as college students leave campus and others in its donor base go on vacation.
Anyone seeking to become a blood donor can contact a local Red Cross office, or call 1-800-RED-CROSS. Individuals and organizations can also help by agreeing to host and publicize a blood drive administered by the Red Cross team.