Donate blood for a chance to see ‘The Amazing Spiderman 2’

A blood drive is taking place at Mt. Hood Community College on April 28-29.

Donors may come to the Town & Gown Room anytime from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. to give blood, on those two days. Contact ASG in person, or email Steven Page, SAB Wellness Programs Coordinator, at [email protected] to secure a donation spot, as there are only 75 spaces available each day.

Walk-ins are also welcome, but reservations take priority. Securing a spot online is possible through the official Red Cross website at http://www.redcrossblood.org. Simply enter the sponsor code “MHCC” to see available times. For those unable to give blood or who are squeamish around needles, ASG has many other opportunities for volunteering, as well.

First-time donors are encouraged to be well-hydrated and eat food that has plenty of iron the day before donating. A healthy, balanced meal can help lower the chances of fainting and/or vomiting afterward. In addition to donating blood, there is the option to donate double red cells. In this process, an apheresis machine collects the red cells, but returns most of the plasma and platelets back to the donor. Double red donations take about 30 minutes more than the typical brief blood donation, and allow the donor to give two units of red cells.

In either case, the Red Cross provides light snacks and juice to help donors recover. Strenuous activity right after donating is discouraged. The more relaxed the donor, the easier the donating process.

Those who donate blood have the opportunity to be entered into a raffle to win two tickets to see “The Amazing Spider Man 2”, which premieres May 3, at Stark Street Regal Cinemas. Volunteers at this event are also eligible to be entered into the raffle, should they choose to donate blood.