Give Blood, Get Free Spider-Man Shirt At San Diego Comic-Con Blood Drive

SAN DIEGO, CA — Give blood and get a free Marvel Spider-Man T-shirt during the Robert A. Heinlein Blood Drive at Comic-Con International.

Comic-Con International and the San Diego Blood Bank will kick off the 50th annual Robert A. Heinlein Blood Drive on Wednesday with a goal of collecting 3,500 pints of blood during the five-day event.

The drive will run from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Sunday at the Manchester Grand Hyatt, 1 Market Place. Appointments will be honored first, though walk-in donors are welcome. A Comic-Con badge is not required.

This year's blood drive is themed around the upcoming "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" film. Donors will receive a limited-edition Spider-Man T-shirt while supplies last, along with other promotional items.

The Robert A. Heinlein Blood Drive has been part of Comic-Con since 1977 and is the San Diego Blood Bank's largest and longest-running blood drive. Over the past 49 years, attendees, exhibitors, volunteers and staff have donated 108,420 pints of blood, which the blood bank said has the potential to help more than 325,000 people.

To donate, participants must be at least 17 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds, and be in general good health.