Tewksbury Freemasons announce 2026 Blood Drive Schedule

Tewksbury’s Wamesit Lodge of Ancient Free and Accepted Masons partners with the American Red Cross to sponsor a blood drive each month. “We’re pleased to announce the first half dates for our 2026 blood drive,” says Steve Lavargna, a Masonic brother at the Lodge.

According to the Red Cross, every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood. Blood donations help patients of all ages: accident and burn victims, heart surgery and organ transplant patients, and those battling cancer. Typically, the Tewksbury Freemasons at Wamesit Lodge collect around 1,500 units of blood per year, though Brother Lavarna reports that collections were down a bit in 2025 due to the Masonic Hall being closed during the past summer for renovations. “We’re hoping to have a huge turnout during our upcoming blood drives scheduled through June so we can achieve a bit of catch-up in collections,” says Brother Lavargna. “Each unit of blood can help save three lives, which means the blood collected from the generous donors who visit our Lodge in a typical year can save 4,500 lives. Delivering that positive community impact is terribly important to us as Masons.”

The upcoming blood drive schedule at Wamesit Masonic Hall on 70 Victor Drive, Tewksbury, MA 01876, is as follows:

If interested in donating blood, please schedule an appointment by downloading the American Red Cross Blood Donor app, by visiting https://www.redcrossblood.org/, or by using the QR code below.

The blood donation process from the time you arrive until the time you leave takes about an hour, although the donation itself is only about 8-10 minutes of that time on average. “Since you can donate whole blood every 56 days, we have a lot of repeat donors visiting Wamesit, which is fantastic,” says Brother Lavargna. “We love first time and repeat donors, especially those who bring in a friend or family member to donate. The more donors the better, and you get to munch on some free snacks when you’re done!”

Tewksbury's Wamesit Lodge is part of the world’s oldest and largest fraternity – Freemasonry. The fraternity is comprised of adult men (18+) of good character from every country, religion, race, age, income, education, and opinion. Its body of knowledge and system of ethics is based on the belief that each man has a responsibility to improve himself while being devoted to his family, his faith, his country, and his fraternity. The Freemasons help men to be the best possible versions of ourselves, and make connections with men who share the same values. Wamesit Masonic Hall is also home to Thomas Talbot Lodge of Billerica, Merrimack Valley Daylight Lodge and appendant Masonic organizations for men and women: Order of Eastern Star, Order of Amaranth, and Daughters of the Nile. If interested in learning more or joining the Masonic brotherhood, please feel free to contact the Masons at Wamesit@MassFreemasonry.net or stop by the Lodge during a Blood Drive and ask to speak to a brother.