by Michael McKinley, Austin Stake JustServe Specialist
AUSTIN, Texas – Austin area members and friends of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints rolled up their sleeves, literally, as they participated in recent mobile blood drives.
On Aug. 22, a total of 39 people from two locations combined, showed up at the Heatherwilde meetinghouse parking lot in Pflugerville as well as the Rutherford Lane building in Austin. They were able to donate 37 whole blood donations and two red cell blood donations that will be used in hospitals in Austin and the greater Central Texas area.
“It was nice to play a small role in helping our community during COVID,” said Ryan Winiecke, who donated at Heatherwilde. “I’m happy to give back, and this was a great opportunity as blood donations are always needed.”
Blood donations are critical during this pandemic in helping local hospitals maintain a thriving blood supply for patients. According to We Are Blood’s website, the organization provides blood donations to more than 40 medical facilities in 10 Central Texas counties.
Shannen Bradley, when asked about her experience donating, replied, “I’ve been trying to figure out ways to help out in the community during this time since it’s hard to just sit idly by, so I was grateful for the opportunity to donate!”
Church members from the Austin Stake and community neighbors signed up at their respective locations to donate blood. We Are Blood provided a process that was COVID-19 safe, as the drive was performed on a bus where donors could socially distance themselves from others and wear face masks throughout the whole process.
“The Austin Texas Stake was very happy to partner with We Are Blood in hosting these mobile blood drives,” said Emily Miller, Austin Stake’s communication director. “We are grateful to We Are Blood for providing a way for us to give a critical service in our community while safely adhering to social distancing guidelines.”
The Killeen Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints also hosted two additional blood drives, on Aug. 20 in Copperas Cove and Aug. 21 in Killeen with a fairly good turnout, according to Darren Coleman, who serves as Killeen’s stake communication director.
Coleman said the typical turnout from their blood drives includes an even larger portion of participants who are not from the church. “This time the missionaries assisted with volunteering at each chapel, so it was a great opportunity for people to get some good face time with them,” he said.
For more information about We Are Blood and where you can sign up for a future blood drive, please visit http://weareblood.org/.