Just ahead of its sixth anniversary, Lawrence Beer Co. has been honored as the winner of the inaugural Lawrence Battle of the Breweries Blood Drive.

Battle of the Breweries was a friendly competition between 23rd Street Brewery, Black Stag Brewery, Fields and Ivy Brewery, and Lawrence Beer Co. encouraging the most donors to join their brew crews and help save lives.

The blood drive took place July 3 at The Oread Hotel. It was a success, finishing above goal even during the busy holiday weekend, which can be a challenging time to collect the blood that patients are counting on for treatment. Five donors gave blood for the first time at Battle of the Breweries.

“Having local businesses eagerly step up and offer their support of blood donation is very encouraging. Breweries have close ties with their patrons, and we are so pleased to see the great results of this community effort,” said Susan Faler, Account Manager for the Red Cross Central Plains Blood Services Region.

Donors received a coupon for $5 off their next food or merchandise purchase at each participating brewery through the end of July. Several donors said the coupon was a good reason to check out the breweries. One man came from Odessa, Missouri, to donate at Battle of the Breweries because he heard about the blood drive incentives.

The need for blood is constant, and the Red Cross saw a concerning decline in blood donations over the past several weeks. Please consider scheduling your next appointment in the coming days and weeks by visiting RedCrossBlood.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS or using the Blood Donor App (available on the App Store and Google Play).