American Red Cross.
(The following press release was provided verbatim by American Red Cross)
The American Red Cross is facing a severe blood shortage as requests from hospitals exceed the available supply of blood, leading to about a 35% drawdown of blood products in the past month. Individuals are urged to give now so patients don’t face delays in lifesaving care. The shortage is especially serious for platelets, types O, A negative and B negative blood.
High flu activity in nearly every state may be sidelining donors, slowing efforts to rebuild the Red Cross national blood supply. At the same time, hospitals already feeling the strain of the worst flu season in nearly 20 years are now also forced to triage critical blood products. Without immediate action, patients who count on transfusions — including trauma victims, mothers in childbirth and people with sickle cell disease or cancer — face serious risk.
There’s no time to wait — book an appointment to give blood or platelets now by using the Blood Donor App, visiting RedCrossBlood.org or calling 1-800-RED CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
As a thank-you to donors for helping tackle the blood shortage, those who come to give through Jan. 25, 2026, will be automatically entered for a chance to win a trip for two to Super Bowl LX in the San Francisco Bay Area. The winner and guest will receive two tickets to Super Bowl LX, access to day-of, in-stadium pregame activities, tickets to the official Super Bowl Experience, round-trip airfare, three-night hotel accommodations (Feb. 6-9, 2026), plus a $1,000 gift card for expenses. See RedCrossBlood.org/SuperBowl for details.
All who come to give Jan. 26-Feb. 28, 2026, will receive a $20 e-gift card to a merchant of choice. See RedCrossBlood.org/Heart for details.
Weather Disrupts Vital Donations
About 400 blood drives were impacted due to extreme winter weather last month alone — more than three times the number of blood drives impacted during the same time the previous year. As a result, thousands of blood donations have gone uncollected. With intense winter weather and freezing temperatures expected across much of the country in the coming weeks, more blood drives could potentially be delayed or canceled at a time when every unit of blood could be the difference for doctors facing difficult choices about which patients receive blood transfusions and who will need to wait.
“Winter always puts pressure on the blood supply, and this year widespread flu and rough weather are making it even tougher,” said Paul Sullivan, senior vice president of Red Cross donor services. “If you’re able, now’s a great time to make and keep blood donation appointments, during National Blood Donor Month. Every donation can be a lifeline for a patient who isn’t able to hold off on critical care.”
Who Donations Help
Red Cross communications volunteer Jenny Farley, of Havertown, has written dozens of stories about the importance of donating blood and the people it helps. She never anticipated being one of them. In November, Jenny received 5 blood transfusions as her medical team scrambled to locate internal bleeding after surgery.
"I have heard many times that it’s the blood already on hospital shelves that helps save a life in an emergency. But you can’t truly understand what that means until you contemplate needing 5 transfusions to survive," she said.
Jenny is grateful to the people whose blood made it possible to begin her recovery.
"I still am in complete awe that the blood I never thought I would need was there because someone I didn’t know took the time to give it," she said.
Upcoming Blood Donation Opportunities Jan. 21-Feb. 3:
BUCKS COUNTY
Buckingham
1/22/2026: 2 p.m. - 7 p.m., Trinity Episcopal Church, 2631 Durham Road
Doylestown
1/23/2026: 8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m., Bucks County Administration Building, 55 E. Court St.
Hilltown
2/3/2026: 2 p.m. - 7 p.m., Our Lady of the Sacred Heart School, 100 Broad St.
Perkasie
1/29/2026: 10 a.m. - 3 p.m., Living Hope Community Church, 22H Route 313
Plumsteadville
1/23/2026: 12 p.m. - 5 p.m., Plumstead Christian School, Middle & High School Campus, 5765 Old Easton Road
Sellersville
1/22/2026: 2 p.m. - 7 p.m., St. Paul's United Church of Christ, 104 Green St.
2/3/2026: 2 p.m. - 7 p.m., Sellersville Moose Lodge 1539, 301 W. Park Ave
Silverdale
1/28/2026: 2 p.m. - 7 p.m., Silverdale Brethren in Christ, 165 W. Main St.
Warminster
1/23/2026: 12 p.m. - 5 p.m., Christ Home, 800 York Road
2/2/2026: 2 p.m. - 7 p.m., Neshaminy Warwick Presbyterian Church, 1401 Meetinghouse Road
Warrington
1/22/2026: 2 p.m. - 7 p.m., St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church, 1795 Columbia Ave.
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DELAWARE COUNTY
Wilmington Blood Donation Center
5329 Concord Pike, Wilmington, DE
(less than 1 mile from PA state line)
Aldan
2/3/2026: 2 p.m. - 7 p.m., Aldan Union Church, 7 E. Providence Road
Aston
1/25/2026: 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., Aston Community Center, 3270 Concord Road
1/29/2026: 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., Neumann University Bruder Life Center, 1 Neumann Drive
Drexel Hill
2/2/2026: 1 p.m. - 6 p.m., St. Charles Roman Catholic Church, 3422 Dennison Ave.
Havertown
1/26/2026: 2 p.m. - 7 p.m., Temple Lutheran Church, 501 Brookline Blvd.
Lansdowne
1/24/2026: 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., Lansdowne Lodge No. 711, 27 S. Lansdowne Ave.
Media
1/28/2026: 10 a.m. - 3 p.m., VFW Post 3460, 11 Hilltop St.
Newtown Square
1/29/2026: 2 p.m. - 7 p.m., Newtown Square Presbyterian Church, 3600 Goshen Road
Radnor
1/23/2026: 12 p.m. - 5 p.m., Radnor Township Building, 301 Iven Ave.
2/3/2026: 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., Penn Medicine at Radnor, 145 King of Prussia Road
Springfield
1/29/2026: 2 p.m. - 7 p.m., Blue Church, 940 Baltimore Pike
Swarthmore
1/29/2026: 2 p.m. - 7 p.m., Ridley Creekside Center, 794 Milmont Ave.
2/2/2026: 9 a.m. - 7 p.m., Swarthmore Presbyterian Church, 727 Harvard Ave.
Wayne
1/23/2026: 8:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m., The Saturday Club, 117 W. Wayne Ave.
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MONTGOMERY COUNTY
East Norriton Blood Donation Center
2880 DeKalb Pike, East Norriton
Horsham Blood Donation Center
116G Welsh Road, Horsham
Abington
1/30/2026: 12 p.m. - 5 p.m., Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 2086 Parkview Ave.
Ambler
1/23/2026: 12 p.m. - 5 p.m., Upper Dublin Lutheran Church, 411 Susquehanna Road
1/27/2026: 10 a.m. - 3 p.m., Ambler Church of the Brethren, 351 E. Butler Ave.
Blue Bell
1/22/2026: 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., Verinext, 510 E. Township Line Road
Fort Washington
2/3/2026: 2 p.m. - 7 p.m., Or Hadash, 190 Camp Hill Road
Glenside
1/27/2026: 2 p.m. - 7 p.m., VFW Post No. 676 North Penn, 2519 Jenkintown Road
Harleysville
1/22/2026: 2 p.m. - 7 p.m., Lower Salford Township, 379 Main St.
Hatboro
1/27/2026: 2 p.m. - 7 p.m., Station Park, 362 S. Warminster Road
Jenkintown
1/24/2026: 8 a.m. - 1 p.m., Immaculate Conception Church, 606 West Ave.
Lafayette Hill
2/2/2026: 2 p.m. - 7 p.m., William Jeanes Memorial Library, 4051 Joshua Road
Lansdale
1/29/2026: 10 a.m. - 3 p.m., Christ United Methodist Church, 1020 S. Valley Forge Road
1/30/2026: 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., Jefferson Lansdale Hospital, 100 Medical Campus Drive
2/3/2026: 2 p.m. - 7 p.m., Gwynedd Square Presbyterian Church, 837 Summeytown Pike
Limerick
1/22/2026: 2 p.m. - 7 p.m., Limerick Township Building, 646 W. Ridge Pike
Merion Station
1/24/2026: 8 a.m. - 1 p.m., Waldron Mercy Academy, 513 Montgomery Ave.
Montgomery Township
1/30/2026: 2 p.m. - 7 p.m., Mary, Mother of the Redeemer Catholic School, 1321 Upper State Road
North Wales
2/2/2026: 2 p.m. - 7 p.m., Sanctuary United Methodist Church, 1346 E. Prospect Ave.
Pennsburg
1/23/2026: 12 p.m. - 5 p.m., Upper Perkiomen YMCA, 1399 Quakertown Road
Royersford
1/30/2026: 2 p.m. - 7 p.m., Christ's Church of the Valley, 1560 Yeager Road
Souderton
1/27/2026: 2 p.m. - 7 p.m., Emmanuel Lutheran Church, 69 W. Broad St.
Stowe
2/2/2026: 2 p.m. - 7 p.m., St. Gabriel of the Sorrowful Mother Parish, 127 E. Howard St.
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PHILADELPHIA COUNTY
Philadelphia Blood Donation Center
700 Spring Garden St., Philadelphia
Northeast Philadelphia Blood Donation Center
1401 Rhawn St., Philadelphia
1/22/2026: 8 a.m. - 6 p.m., Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 5, 11630 Caroline Road
1/23/2026: 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., Temple University Student Faculty Center, 3340 N. Broad St.
1/25/2026: 8 a.m. - 1 p.m., Roxborough YMCA, 7201 Ridge Ave.
1/30/2026: 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., Thomas Jefferson University, Kanbar Student Center, 4201 Henry Ave.
2/3/2026: 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., BNY Mellon, 1735 Market St.
2/3/2026: 9 a.m. - 2 p.m., Premier Healthcare-Deer Meadows, 8301 Roosevelt Blvd.
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About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides comfort to victims of disasters; supplies about 40% of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; distributes international humanitarian aid; and supports veterans, military members and their families. The Red Cross is a nonprofit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to deliver its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or CruzRojaAmericana.org, or follow us on social media.
