New York Blood Center relies upon 1500 volunteer blood donors per day. There has been a chronic gap in blood donations since the start of the pandemic. Remote and blended learning has resulted in a 75% reduction in youth donations from high schools and colleges and remote work has also resulted in hundreds of organizations no longer able to host blood drives. At the same time, the need for blood from patients in our local hospitals has increased by 10-15% from pre-pandemic levels, from pent-up demand for treatment and surgeries postponed during the pandemic. We’re encouraging folks to give blood and/or help amplify the message on the need for blood in our community. Saving a life takes just an hour of your time. You can visit nybc.org to learn more. Use this link to schedule your donation for Feb. 27: https://donate.nybc.org/donor/schedules/drive_schedule/301982.