PORTLAND — The American Red Cross said it is dealing with an extreme blood shortage. As an incentive for donors, Amazon will provide $5 gift cards to donors of blood or platelets through Aug. 29.

The Red Cross on Monday said has less than a three-day supply of most blood types and less than a two day supply of Type O blood.

Donors can schedule appointments via Amazon’s Alexa, by saying “Alexa, find a blood drive,” or by using the Red Cross Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org, or calling 800-733-2767. Donors must provide a driver’s license or two other forms of identification, must be at least 17 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds, and be in generally good health.

In addition, several local blood drives are scheduled over the next couple weeks:

Aug. 1, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Portland Press Herald, 295 Gannett Drive, South Portland; Aug. 1, noon-5 p.m., Martin’s Point, 153 Route 1, Scarborough; Aug. 2, 1-6 p.m., Saint Bartholomew Church, 8 Two Lights Road, Cape Elizabeth; Aug. 3, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., South Portland High School, 637 Highland Ave., South Portland; Aug. 5, noon-5 p.m., Eastpoint Christian Church, 345 Clarks Pond Parkway, South Portland; Aug. 8, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Freeport Community Center, 53 Depot St., Freeport; Aug. 9, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Parkview Adventist Medical Center, 329 Maine St., Brunswick; Aug. 12, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., American Legion Post No. 35, 413 Broadway, South Portland, and Aug. 14, 1-6 p.m., Saint Mary’s Church, 144 Lincoln St., Bath.

 


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.