Stewart’s Shops is once again treating Red Cross blood donors in Eastern New York to free pints of ice cream this June. “Give a Pint, Get a Pint” offers donors who give blood at blood drives in 20 counties* from June 1-30 a voucher for a free pint of Stewart’s Shop’s ice cream or gelato that can be redeemed at any Stewart’s Shops location.
Thanks in part to “Give a Pint, Get a Pint” donors, blood donations increased nearly 20% last June. More than 7,600 units of blood were donated, with all presenting donors receiving vouchers for a free pint of Stewart’s Shops ice cream or gelato.
“We are grateful Stewart’s Shops is, for the third year in a row, supporting the Red Cross and helping us say ‘thank you’ to our donors who have such a big impact on the lives of patients in our region,” said Sonja Ronovech, district recruitment manager of the Red Cross New York-Penn Blood Services Region. “With many donors vacationing and schools that host blood drives on break, summer is an especially difficult time to collect enough blood donations to meet the needs of patients. The Red Cross must collect more than 13,000 blood donations every day for trauma victims, cancer patients and those depending on routine transfusions. In the New York-Penn Region, approximately 750 units are collected daily to serve patients in 90 hospitals throughout New York and 10 counties in Pennsylvania.”
“Thank you to all the amazing donors that take the time to give blood; it’s great to see the number of donations going up year after year” says Stewart’s Shops President, Gary Dake. “We are so happy that Stewart’s ice cream can help such a great cause.”
Blood is perishable and has a limited shelf life. Red blood cells have a shelf life of only 42 days and platelets just five days, so they must constantly be replenished. Those who need blood include accident and burn victims, heart surgery patients, organ transplant patients, and those receiving treatment for leukemia, cancer or sickle cell disease.
*Stewart’s Shops “Give a Pint, Get a Pint” vouchers will be offered to blood donors presenting at blood drives in the following counties from June 1-30:
How to donate blood
Simply download the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, visit redcrossblood.org or call 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to make an appointment or for more information. All blood types are needed to ensure a reliable supply for patients. A blood donor card or driver’s license or two other forms of identification are required at check-in. Individuals who are 17 years of age (16 with parental consent in some states), weigh at least 110 pounds and are in generally good health may be eligible to donate blood. High school students and other donors 18 years of age and younger also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.
Blood donors can now save time at their next donation by using RapidPass to complete their pre-donation reading and health history questionnaire online, on the day of their donation, prior to arriving at the blood drive. To get started and learn more, visit redcrossblood.org/RapidPass and follow the instructions on the site.
