MEMPHIS, Tenn — The Vitalant ‘Grit, Grind and Give’ blood drive is having a one-day, in-person blood drive at FedExForum in an effort to increase blood donations for 18 Mid-South hospitals. The Grizzlies will also host a one-day, in-person blood drive on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021.
Fans who would like to participate in the in-person blood drive on Saturday, Feb. 27, in the Grand Lobby of FedExForum from 8 a.m.- 3 p.m., can sign up for an appointment at Vitalant.org/Grizzlies. Appointments are encouraged but a limited number of walk-in slots will be available. All donors who participate in the in-person blood drive will be entered to win an autographed Ja Morant basketball or an autographed Jaren Jackson binder. The first 100 donors who schedule and complete their appointment at the in-person drive will receive a Grizzlies t-shirt.
Since the beginning of the global pandemic, more than 14,600 Vitalant blood drives have been forced to cancel due to COVID-19, representing about 364,000 uncollected donations. Fans who donate during the two drives are also offered a chance to have their COVID-19 antibody status checked. If a donor tests positive for the COVID-19 antibodies, they may be eligible to donate convalescent plasma to help a patient currently fighting the illness. On average, 1 out of 4 hospitalized COVID-19 patients are currently receiving convalescent plasma. This plasma, collected from recovered COVID-19 patients, is used to treat those with active, severe cases of the virus to give patients an extra boost of fighting power. Click here for more information on convalescent plasma.
About Vitalant
Vitalant (“Vye-TAL-ent”) is the nation’s largest independent, nonprofit blood services provider exclusively focused on providing lifesaving blood and comprehensive transfusion medicine services for approximately 1,000 hospitals and their patients across 40 states. Every day, Vitalant needs to collect about 5,500 blood and platelet donations to help save lives. For more information and to schedule a donation appointment, visit vitalant.org or call 877-25-VITAL (877-258-4825). Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
For more information on the Grizzlies, visit grizzlies.com, ‘like’ Memphis Grizzlies on Facebook or follow @memgrizz on Twitter and Instagram.
