In order to help put blood on the shelf, Community Blood Bank will hold two drives in Warren County early next week.

There will be a drive from 4 to 8 p.m. Monday at Lander Fire Department, Route 957, Lander, and another from 12:30 to 5 p.m. Tuesday at Holy Redeemer Center, North South St., Warren.

Local blood supplies are critically low, according to Mobile Drive Coordinator Kathy Hastings.

“The Community Blood Bank is urging donors to give blood during this critical time of need,” Hastings said. “The CBB is facing a critical blood shortage for the local patients in need. The CBB is facing a less-than one-day supply of most blood types.”

There is a combination of factors that have come together to cause the shortage.

“Traditionally, this time of year is hard on the local blood supply due to cold and flu season, as well as inclement weather forcing the Community Blood Bank to cancel blood drives,” Hasting said. “However, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to add an additional stress on the already strained blood supply. Due to the ongoing pandemic, around 30 percent of the Community Blood Bank’s blood drive partners are forced to cancel their routine blood drives.”

“It’s imperative we continue to make up for those lost units of blood,” she said. “These cancellations are forcing us to stretch our donor base very thin. We need new donors and people who have not donated in years to come give blood at the blood drives that are able to go on as planned to help restore the local blood supply to adequate levels.”

Those interested in scheduling a donation appointment in Lander may call Hastings at (716) 450-0376.

Those interested in scheduling for Holy Redeemer may call Mobile Drive Coordinator Shari Jerman at (814) 688-3696.