FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The New England Patriots continue their efforts to increase awareness of the importance of blood donation with a fall kick-off blood drive. The blood drive will be held Saturday, October 21, at the Dana-Farber Field House at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.
"The New England Patriots Charitable Foundation is pleased to sponsor this event, and we encourage the community to come out and donate blood," said Rena Clark, the vice president of community affairs and corporate philanthropy for the Patriots. "The Kraft family and the Patriots organization have a long history of support for Dana-Farber through the Kraft Family Blood Donor Center and are proud to extend this partnership by hosting this event at the Dana-Farber Field House at Gillette Stadium."
The blood drive will benefit patients treated at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Children's Hospital Boston. Appointments are required and will be scheduled from 1:45 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. To be eligible to donate blood you must be at least 17 years old and weigh a minimum of 110 pounds; valid identification is required. For details, call 617-732-6286, email blooddonor@partners.org, or visit www.brighamandwomens.org/blooddonation. Donors will be entered into a raffle to win Patriots prizes.
The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Kraft Family Blood Donor Center and the Brigham and Women's Hospital Blood Donor Center provide essential blood products to patients cared for in both institutions. The Kraft Center collects platelets; the BWH Donor Center collects whole blood and red cells. Children's Hospital Boston's Blood Donor Center serves the needs of the pediatric patients in the Longwood Medical Area. More than 75,000 transfusions are performed annually at these patient care facilities.
