5 Things it Takes More Time to Do Than Donate Blood, Where to Donate?

You hear about it often, Blood Emergency, Urgent Need for Blood Donations, but have you donated? Do you think that it simply takes too much time? Ok, think about it, how much time does it actually take for you to donate blood? From the time you get there, to the time you are drinking your juice and eating your cookies? How long?

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How long does it take to actually donate blood?

From the time you are doing the paperwork, through the time to collect the blood, you are looking at about one hour 15 minutes to an hour and a half. So, 75 to 90 minutes.

Things that might take you about two hours, that you would rather not actually do?

• Clean the leaves out of your gutters and raking them in the yard.
• Detail and vacuum your car
• Wrapping presents for your family
• Picking out the perfect Christmas tree and getting it home.
• Washing and drying one load of laundry.

All of these things take about two hours, so in less time than that, you could donate a pint of blood.

Who can donate whole blood? What are the minimum requirements?

For Whole Blood Donation, from the American Red Cross:

• Donation frequency: Every 56 days*
• You must be in good health and feeling well**
• You must be at least 16 years old in most states
• You must weigh at least 110 lbs

There is also what is called a "Power Red" type of donation, where you can donate more. Ask at your blood donation location, as there are different requirements for a Power Red.

Where can you donate today or this week?

• American Red Cross Blood Drives, zip code search
• New York Blood Center, zip code search