Blood bank donations to benefit food bank through March 31

Blood Bank of Delmarva is partnering with the Food Bank of Delaware for its Save 1, Feed 1 campaign. For the month of March, the blood bank will be donating $1 to Food Bank of Delaware on behalf of every presenting blood donor who registers specifically to make a donation to benefit the food bank.

According to Food Bank of Delaware, 114,190 Delawareans are food insecure, which is equivalent to about 11 percent of the state population. Approximately one in nine Diamond State residents rely on the charity food system, despite most of these people being from families in which at least one person is working.

Unfortunately, children are more likely to be in poverty and face food insecurity – namely one in six Delaware children.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with Food Bank of Delaware for this campaign, as there are so many similarities in the lifesaving work that both of our organizations do every day,” said Patty Killeen, senior executive director at Blood Bank of Delmarva. “Since the start of the pandemic, there has been a chronic shortage of blood, as well as a dramatic increase in the need for food bank services. We hope that this partnership is able to help both of our organizations provide essential services to Delawareans.”

The issue food banks are facing is not a lack of food per se, but rather the challenge of transporting food to where it is needed most. Monetary donations are essential in paying for transportation and storage of food. A $1 donation can provide three meals to those in need, since food banks are able to buy food by the truckload as opposed to paying retail prices. Therefore, each blood donation throughout the duration of this campaign has the ability to both save up to three lives and provide three meals to Delawareans facing food insecurity.

About 40 percent of the food created in the U.S. is never eaten, adding up to billions of pounds of food waste annually, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. Food waste is the single biggest source of methane, a very powerful climate change agent.

“We are grateful to partner with the Blood Bank of Delmarva on this important initiative,” said Cathy Kanefsky, Food Bank of Delaware president and CEO. “We are better when we work together, and I can’t think of a better partner. We know that the low blood supply and increased demands for food assistance are both critical issues our community faces. For me, this is a win-win for both banks!”

To make an appointment to donate, call 1-888-8-BLOOD-8 or go to delmarvablood.org/save1feed1.

Donating blood is safe and only takes one hour. The blood bank is taking extra precautions to help prevent the person-to-person spread of COVID-19. All Blood Bank of Delmarva staff are vaccinated. As always, people are not eligible to donate if they’re experiencing a cold, sore throat, respiratory infection or flu-like symptoms. People can donate blood regardless of vaccination status.

A member of Feeding America, the Food Bank of Delaware’s mission is to provide nutritious foods to Delawareans in need and facilitate long-term solutions to the problems of hunger and poverty through community outreach and advocacy. For more information, go to fbd.org.