St. Mary Parish

St. Mary Blood Drives are held 5 times a year.

2024:

March 02
June 23
August 25
October 27
January 05, 2025​​​​​​​

Please visit:  www.redcrossblood.org 
for drive information. 

• Drink an extra 16 oz. of water (or other nonalcoholic drink) before your appointment.
• Eat a healthy meal, avoiding fatty foods like hamburgers, fries or ice cream.
• Wear a shirt with sleeves that you can roll up above your elbows.
• Let us know if you have a preferred arm or particular vein that has been used successfully in the past to draw blood.
• Relax, listen to music, talk to other donors or read while you donate.

• Keep the strip bandage on for the next several hours; to avoid a skin rash, clean the area around the bandage with soap and water.
• Don’t do any heavy lifting or vigorous exercise for the rest of the day.
• If the needle site starts to bleed, apply pressure and raise your arm straight up for 5-10 minutes or until bleeding stops.
• Call the Red Cross at 1-866-236-3276 to report any additional health information that you forgot to report, if you have any problems or if you needed medical care after giving blood.
• If you experience dizziness or lightheadedness, stop what you’re doing and sit down or lie down until you feel better; avoid performing any activity where fainting may lead to injury for at least 24 hours.
• Keep eating iron-rich foods.
• If you donate frequently, be sure to take multivitamins with iron to ensure you continue to replenish your iron stores before your next donation.