Donating Blood at Stanford Nov. 22-24 Will Also Help Local Homeless Shelter


November 16, 2010
Attention News Desk: Press Release (for immediate release)
MEDIA CONTACT:
Michele Hyndman (650) 723-8237
mhyndman@stanford.edu


STANFORD, Calif. — “Pairing up” can provide a double benefit at Thanksgiving time for those who want to donate blood at the Stanford Blood Center.

For every two people who donate blood Nov. 22-24, the center will make a monetary donation in their honor to provide a homeless person with a bed for a night. The blood center is partnering with InnVision, a provider of housing and services for homeless families and individuals.

“This is a wonderful opportunity for Stanford Blood Center blood donors to double their donation,” said center spokesperson Michele Hyndman. “By giving blood on these days, a person can save a life and provide shelter for someone in need.”

Eligible donors must visit a blood center location in Palo Alto or Mountain View. The promotion does not apply to blood drives at local organizations. The blood center locations are:

  • 3373 Hillview Ave., Palo Alto
  • 780 Welch Road, Suite 100, Palo Alto
  • 515 South Drive, Suite 20, Mountain View

Hotel de Zink, InnVision’s only homeless shelter on the Peninsula, is a 15-bed emergency shelter that rotates locations among, and is hosted by, area faith communities. Residents are referred through InnVision’s Opportunity Services Center and are allowed to stay for up to 90 days. Operating through the support of Palo Alto and Menlo Park churches, Hotel de Zink offers a safe haven in the community.

“As Hotel de Zink struggles to keep its doors open, our partnership with Stanford Blood Center provides much-needed financial support and will hopefully create more visibility for the program in our community,” said Philip Dah, director of Peninsula programs at InnVision.

Donors should be in good health with no cold or flu symptoms. They must eat well prior to donation, drink fluids and present photo identification at the time of donation. The process takes about an hour. For more information or to schedule an appointment online, please call (888) 723-7831 or visit smstaging.stanford.edu/bloodcenter.

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The Stanford University School of Medicine consistently ranks among the nation’s top medical schools, integrating research, medical education, patient care and community service. For more news about the school, please visit http://mednews.stanford.edu. The medical school is part of Stanford Medicine, which includes Stanford Hospital & Clinics and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. For information about all three, please visit http://stanfordmedicine.org/about/news.html.

Stanford Blood Center was created at the Stanford University School of Medicine in 1978 to meet the complex transfusion needs of Stanford Hospital & Clinics and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital, as well as provide tailored blood products and clinical trial services for school researchers. Today the center provides blood products to eight local hospitals and is a recognized leader in the field of transfusion medicine. More information is available at https://bloodcenter-stg.stanford.edu.