Halesite F.D. Entices Blood Donors With Food

For years women have been told that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach with a good meal. Well, this Friday, some men (and some women) will be hoping the way to a blood donor's heart is with a good meal as well.

During the Halesite Fire Department's bi-annual blood drive, being held at the firehouse at 1 New York Ave. on Friday from 3:30 to 8 p.m, several members of the fire department will cook a steak and salad dinner complete with Italian bread for anyone who donates as a way of saying thanks. The obligatory juice and cookies seem to pale by comparison.

"People who donate still get the juice and cookies after they donate blood, but once they are allowed to leave upstairs they come down and have dinner," said Bonnie Sammis, treasurer of the Ladies Auxiliary, which will be cooking alongside the firefighters on Friday. "The Ladies Auxiliary are there to help. We cook for the donors and the guys help."

Sammis explained that the department hosts blood drives twice a year, one in January and the other in August. She added, "In January, we serve heroes as a thank you. ... We have a very loyal following. They call us to find out when the next blood drive is."

The blood drives at the Halesite fire house are a tradition that goes back 20 years, according to Sammis. "It started before my time, but since these blood drives are sponsored by the Red Cross, I guess the Red Cross came here and asked if they could use the facilities to hold a blood drive," Sammis said. "It is their event but also a fire department function and we volunteer."

The American Red Cross Blood Donor Service began during World War II and collected 13.3 million pints of blood and plasma for the armed services. When the war was over, the donor service opened up to the public. Today, more than 6.5 million pints of blood are collected from over 4 million people around the country every year.

Anyone planning to donate should weigh at least 110 pounds, be relatively healthy and provide valid identification. Donors under 17 must provide parental consent. Reservations are not accepted for the blood drive and those reporting to donate should go to the upstairs of the firehouse when they arrive.

"The whole process of donating takes about an hour," Sammis said. "Then we move the patients along downstairs to feed them."

For more information, visit www.halesitefd.org or call (631) 427-1910.