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There will soon be two American Red Cross blood drives in LaGrange and Hogansville. One will be from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the LaGrange Fire Department’s training room at 115 Hill Street in LaGrange, according to a City of LaGrange press release. The other will be held Friday, July 2 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Hogansville Police Department at 117 Lincoln Street in Hogansville, according to a Facebook post by the Hogansville Police Department.

According to LaGrange Fire Department accreditation manager Mike Webb, the Red Cross is in dire need of blood, especially in Georgia. The fire department has 53 slots available.

“I think 33 of them are filled right now. We would love to have all 53 filled or even more,” Webb said.

Webb said the fire department has held blood drives before.

“I think this is our fifth one. We have one scheduled for every three months for the rest of this year,” Webb said.

While walk-ins will be accepted at the LaGrange blood drive, potential donors are encouraged to make appointments by visiting www.redcrossblood.org or calling 1-800-RED-CROSS. They’re also encouraged to complete health history questions and pre-donation reading at www.redcrossblood.org/rapidpass.

Chief Jeff Sheppard of the Hogansville Police Department said his police department started doing blood drives in November. This will be their third since then. 

“I felt like there are a lot of people who live in Hogansville, who travel either to LaGrange or other places to do blood donations. To make it easier on them and to help our community here, [we’re letting] our citizens come here to give blood,” he said.

Though Sheppard didn’t know how many slots were available at the police department, he said the drive would accept anyone. Potential donors can sign up for the Hogansville blood drive at redcross.org, call 1-800-RED-CROSS, or simply walk in.

To find a blood drive at redcross.org, hover your mouse over Donate Blood and click Find a Blood Drive. In the zip code box, type a zip code or sponsor code. The Hogansville Police Department’s sponsor code is “HPD.”

To donate whole blood, you must be in good health, feeling well, and weigh at least 110 pounds, according to redcrossblood.org. You can safely donate blood every 56 days. In most states, donors must be at least 16 years old.

As the nation’s largest blood collection organization, The American Red Cross supplies about 40 percent of the blood and blood products used in the U.S., according to the press release.