For the second straight year, the local Ukrainian community is sponsoring a blood drive to thank Americans for their support of Ukrainian families displaced following Russia’s invasion of their country in 2022.
The blood drive, hosted by the Ukrainian American Community Center, 301 NE. Main St. in Minneapolis, will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1. The Memorial Blood Center will give the donated blood to Children’s Minnesota hospitals.
Those unable to donate blood are encouraged to contribute money for medical aid containers to be sent to Ukrainian hospitals through Stand With Ukraine MN.
As of Thursday, 62 people had signed up to give blood. Volunteer donors are welcome to show up Saturday; last year’s event collected blood from 152 people.
Organizers hope that some donors will be willing to donate red blood cells, a process that takes a few minutes longer than a regular blood donation. Red blood cells are especially important for the development of children.
Organizers say the blood drive is a way to express gratitude by supporting Minnesota children. According to a statement from the Ukrainian center, one refugee said that she and her children were met in Minnesota “with kindness, food, shelter, and even toys for the kids.”
“It’s our heartfelt thank you to the United States as a country” for American support for Ukraine, said spokesperson Iryna Petrus, herself a refugee who emigrated to the U.S. with her daughter after the war began.
