STATE COLLEGE, CENTRE COUNTY - With so many people recovering from Sandy, you might not be thinking about giving blood, but the Red Cross has issued a call to action to change that.
Penn State Junior Kelsey McDonnell is no stranger to giving blood.
"It's not that bad. I'm a nursing student, so I know that this stuff is needed," said McDonnell.
So when Hurricane Sandy hit, she knew what she had to do.
"We have to make up for what was lost, and you know, we have to help all those who were hurt in the storm," she said.
And the American Red Cross is hoping that more people will follow her lead, and donate blood.
They're urging anyone in areas not badly affected by the storm, to go out and donate blood now, not just to help Pennsylvanians, but anyone who may have crossed Hurricane Sandy's path.
"It affected the blood drives in about 14 different states. We cancelled about 300 blood drives, and we have lost over 9,000 units of blood, and that is just on the eastern seaboard. I know in our area alone, we lost about 8 blood drives probably totaling about 1,000 units," said Wendi Keeler, a Donor Resources Field Representative for the American Red Cross.
And those numbers are only expected to rise.
"Many of the places that were affected by the hurricane, they're not going to have blood drives for a long time yet. Many are without power, and so we need, in an area where we are having blood drives, we need to make sure that we help supply those areas that are not having drives," said Keeler.
As for Kelsey, she says she'll be back as soon as she can to help those in need, because she knows the need is constant.
"I think anyone who is in an area, that, you know, they're doing OK and if they are able to get out of their house and come to a blood drive, they probably should," said McDonnell.
Penn State will be hosting blood drives on campus every day for the next three weeks as part of a blood drive challenge they're having with Michigan State.
To find a blood drive near you, visit the American Red Cross online: http://www.redcrossblood.org/make-donation
