The American Red Cross has been experiencing a blood shortage over the last several months and is in need of community donations. In the coming weeks, the Claremont community will have an opportunity to answer the Red Cross’s call to action as eight drives are scheduled for November. To make an appointment to donate at any of the drives listed below — please note that some locations require advance appointments while others allow walk-up donations — please visit https://www.redcrossblood.org.

OLA
This Sunday, November 7, Our Lady of Assumption Catholic Church will taking blood and power red donations (a concentrated dose of red blood cells) from residents between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. Appointments are preferred, however, walk-ups are also welcomed. OLA is located at 435 Berkeley Avenue.

St. Luke’s Church
Monday, November 8, Claremont St. Luke’s Church will host a blood and power red drive from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Appointments and walk-ups will also be accepted. St. Luke’s Church is located at 2050 North Indian Hill Boulevard.

St. Luke’s Church will host two more blood drives later this month, one on November 22 and another on November 29. Both of those drives will also run between 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. and will be held at the address listed above.

CGU
On Wednesday, November 10, a blood and power red drive will be held at Claremont Graduate University’s Stauffer Hall from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Appointments will be needed prior to attendance and can make one online or via phone by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS. CGU’s Stauffer Hall is located at 757 College Way in Claremont.

DoubleTree
On Thursday, November 18, DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Claremont, located at 555 West Foothill Blvd., will hold their blood and power red drive. The drive will last between 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. and donors will need to make an appointment prior to attending.

Claremont Club
Also on Monday, November 22, the Claremont Club will host a blood and power red drive, beginning at 8 a.m. and ending at 2 p.m. Attendees will need appointments to donate. The Claremont Club is located at 1777 Monte Vista Avenue.

Claremont Presbyterian Church
On Wednesday, November 24, the Claremont Presbyterian Church will host their blood and power red drive from noon to 6 p.m. Donors, who will need to register before attending this drive, will receive an exclusive pair of Red Cross holiday socks for their generosity.

The most common type of donation from attendees is a blood donation, which takes about an hour to complete and extracts approximately a pint blood according to the Red Cross’s website. A power red donation is one that “collects the red cells but returns most of the plasma and platelets to the donor. These donors must meet specific eligibility requirements and have type A Negative, B Negative, or O blood.”

The American Red Cross encourages donors to invite friends and family to participate as well.

Participants can sign up online for these and other drives sponsored by the organization at American Red Cross’s website, www.redcrossblood.org, or via phone by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS. Also online, residents can view available donation time slots for the upcoming drives.