Did you know that people who donate blood have the potential to save up to seven babies and four adults?

Los Banos High School hosted the annual Blood Drive on February 21. Anyone who was 16 or older and met medical criteria was welcomed to donate blood.

The history of the Blood Drive goes back to World War one when injured soldiers were in need for blood. Doctors from the Central Valley who came back from the war started treating their patients using blood, but many hospitals did not have enough blood to use.

On April of 1953, the California Medical Association’s Blood Bank encouraged a community shared blood bank instead of one for profit.

In 1995, the name was changed to the Central California Blood Center and since then communities have gotten together to donate blood to help save the lives of many people. Those who get injured in accidents, struggle with cancer, or need a organ transplant need a great amount of blood, so by volunteering, it helps hospitals keep a steady inventory.

“I think that the Blood Drive is a really influential event to this school because when you donate, you are helping the lives of many people which is amazing,” Jenny Prado, (12), commented.

The first thing that the center does is ask volunteers to register. Then the workers will do a small physical to see if the volunteer’s blood is as safe as possible to use. Once a volunteer is approved to donate then they will collect up to one pint of blood, which takes about 15 minutes.

When volunteers are done, they are given the option to stay and relax since many often feel tired. They are provided with snacks and refreshments to build up their own blood levels.  Afterwards, volunteers can continue with their daily activities.