On Wednesday, Jan. 29, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Student Council (StuCo) hosted another Blood Drive. The sign-in table was down the theatre hallway and the bloodmobile was just outside the doors. To sign up students needed to either scan the QR codes around the school, follow the link in their grades assigned Google Classroom or in StuCo’s Instagram bio.

“The requirements to give blood depends on the person. They test iron levels and you also have to have a certain hemoglobin,” junior Claire Timperley said. “So if you’re trying to hit that iron level make sure you eat a lot of high-iron cereal, try to avoid having milk when you’re having those iron-rich foods because it deactivates it.”

It was recommended for students to eat iron-rich foods such as cereal without milk, red meat and eggs and drink lots of water before giving blood. To be able to give blood students had to be 16 years old, fill out a parent permission form from the main office and there are also some height and weight requirements that may apply to students.

“The process takes about an hour. It kind of depends on the student. It’s anywhere from half an hour to an hour and a half,” junior Maddy Thiltgen said. “I’ve given blood twice now and the processes have been pretty smooth for me” 

The process can be long, but donating blood is a great way to give back to your community. The American Red Cross is facing an emergency blood shortage due to it experiencing the lowest amount of people donating blood in around 20 years.

“There’s always a blood shortage going on, and raising blood is one of the easiest ways to make a direct impact in your community,” Timperley said. “It’s something that everyone who can, should be doing.”

There will be snacks and drinks provided for individuals after they get their blood drawn. If you have any further questions about the Blood Drive, reach out to the Student Council sponsor Mrs. Sarah Hammers via email.