Prior Lake, MN – The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community will hold a holiday blood drive on Tuesday, December 7, 2010, from noon to 7:00 p.m. at Dakotah! Sport and Fitness. The public is invited to participate.

Blood donors are desperately needed. Typically during the holidays blood donations decline while demand increases.  It only takes one hour to give one pint of blood and that pint could potentially save as many as three lives. All blood types are needed, but especially Type O, the universal donor. In order to give blood you need to be healthy, weigh at least 110 pounds, be at least 17 years old, and not have donated blood in the last 56 days. Other health matters are discussed as part of the health history and brief examination.

To help encourage donors during the holiday season, Memorial Blood Center will donate the equivalent of one pound of food to Second Harvest Heartland for area food shelves for every pint of blood donated between November 15, 2010, and January 9, 2011.

Please make an appointment to give blood by calling the SMSC Wellness Coordinator at 952-233-2965. A limited number of walk-ins will also be accepted.  

The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community has sponsored blood drives for more than 23 years. An employees only blood drive will also be held in December.