In 2011, about 65 percent of South Texas Blood & Tissue Center (STBTC) donors gave one time. If all blood donors gave at least three times per year, blood shortages would be a rare event.*
A blood type becomes rare when it’s not available for a patient. Becoming a regular blood donor helps prevent shortages throughout the year. Donors can donate whole blood every eight weeks, up to six times per year.

To help make donating blood easier, STBTC has created Donating for Life, an electronic portal for blood donors. Click the Donating for Life button at southtexasblood.org to schedule appointments online, track your mini physical history and redeem points for a T-shirt or wellness rewards.

Schedule your next appointment at a blood drive in March.

Port Lavaca:
Memorial Medical Volunteers and Community
Wednesday, March 14
2:00pm – 6:30pm
815 N. Virginia St.

Calhoun County Offices
Tuesday, March 27
8:30am – Noon
211 S. Ann St.

(If you wish, you may call Susan Riley at Judge Pheifer’s office – 553-4600 – to arrange a time for your March 27 donation.

Anyone 16 years old weighing 120 pounds (with a parental consent form), or at least 17 years old weighing 110 pounds, and in good general health can donate blood. It is recommended to eat iron rich foods before donating and to drink plenty of fluids to keep the body hydrated. Donors must present photo ID, last four digits of their social security number and their birth date.