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The American Red Cross has an opportunity for blood donation coming up near the Lakeway area from Aug. 16 – 31.

There has been a shortage in blood donations and products this summer at the Red Cross, making it difficult for hospital shelves to be stocked with necessary life-saving materials for their patients.

Blood and platelet donation can help ensure trauma patients, individuals undergoing cancer treatment, and people with lifelong blood disorders can get blood they need to live and function. For the recipients, this is a matter of life and death.

“We need donors to give now to keep the national blood supply from falling to shortage levels. By making an appointment to give blood or platelets in August, donors can keep the national blood supply from falling to shortage levels,” The American Red Cross said.

Blood types that the Red Cross is specifically low on include O negative, O positive, B negative and A negative as well as platelet donors.

There is a possibility that the shortfall of summer donations may negatively impact blood supply, so the Red Cross is offering every donor who attends one of the upcoming donation events a $10 e-gift cart to a movie merchant of their choice.

The upcoming blood donation opportunity closest to the Lakeway area is in Claiborne County on Aug. 29 from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. at Servolution Health Services, 181 Powell Valley School Lane. There are several other opportunities further away that can be found on the American Red Cross website.

The process for blood donation is simplified by either downloading the American Red Cross Blood Donor App, signing up on the website at RedCrossBlood.org or even calling 1-800-733-2767. When arriving for check-in, the donor must provide either a blood donor card or driver’s license along with two other forms of identification.

Eligibility is limited to those who are 18 (16 or 17 years of age with parental consent depending on state) and meet certain height and weight as well as health requirements. You must be in generally good health to donate blood.