Donors to Receive $20 Amazon Cards Tuesday for Saving Lives May 29, 2023

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Looking to rebound from the holiday weekend, Kentucky Blood Center will give all donors a $20 Amazon gift card when they donate at a donor center on Tuesday, May 30. It’s the first of many “Donor Appreciation Days” planned at the local nonprofit this summer.

Memorial Day weekend festivities impact blood collections, and KBC is calling on donors to help rebuild the supply coming out of the holiday. KBC needs all blood types, but O- and A- donors are urgently needed.

Donors can schedule an appointment at a KBC donor center by visiting kybloodcenter.org/donate/donor-center-locations clicking on a donor center link below or by calling 800.775.2522. All donor centers are open Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Appointments are preferred but walk-ins are welcome.

Donation numbers historically dwindle during summer, but the need for blood doesn’t take a vacation. Donations at KBC in 2022 were down more than 12% from 2019, the last summer before the COVID-19 pandemic. During the same timeframe, transfusion numbers remain consistent, putting local lives at risk.

Blood collected at KBC saves the lives of patients in Kentucky who require products for surgeries, diseases like cancer, traumas, organ transplants, premature births and so much more. Kentucky Blood Center, through the generous donation of blood from donors, provides lifesaving blood products to more than 70 hospitals in Kentucky.

KBC will feature gift cards and movie passes during the summer with additional to-be-announced “Donor Appreciation Days” to boost the blood supply during low-turnout periods.

Donors must be at least 17 years old (16 with parental consent), weigh at least 110 pounds, be in general good health, show a photo I.D. and meet additional requirements. Sixteen-year-old donors must have a signed parental permission slip, which can be found at kybloodcenter.org.