NY Blood Center Gives Every Donor The Chance To Win An Apple Watch

NEW YORK — A free Apple Watch isn't among the most important reasons to donate blood, but the sweepstakes entry for donors is a nice way to say thanks at a time when supplies are low.

The New York Blood Center (NYBC) is celebrating National Blood Donor Month by entering all donors into weekly drawings for a chance to win an Apple or Google watch. The promotion will be available from January 5 - January 31 as a way for the NYBC to celebrate its blood donors.

The last few years have been challenging for the blood supply, according to the organization. In 2022, the NYBC faced five blood emergencies and the past two years have brought chronic blood shortages nationwide. Hospitals and patients rely upon a steady flow of volunteer donors to receive life-saving blood donations, but donations have still not returned to pre-pandemic levels. The "tripledemic" of increasing RSV, flu and COVID-19 cases is creating a new concern for the blood supply, as fear of getting sick is causing donors with upcoming appointments to cancel.

"While the holidays are over, the spirit of giving must never stop. Maintaining a stable blood supply is critical to our local healthcare system and for the treatment of thousands of New Yorkers," New York Blood Center VP Andrea Cefarelli said. "We are encouraging all eligible New Yorkers and especially first-time blood donors to celebrate National Blood Donor Month by making an appointment to donate blood today. We’ll be giving away 12 prizes throughout the month of January, so make sure to enter for a chance to win."

The NYBC said 25 percent of the blood supply is used by patients battling cancer and roughly 1,800 units of blood are used by pediatric patients across the country daily. 62 percent of the U.S. population is eligible to donate blood, but just 3 percent of the population donates, the group said. One donation can save up to three lives in the community.

Donating blood only takes about an hour. The NYBC is taking extra precautions to help prevent the person-to-person spread of COVID-19. 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. Additional information on donor eligibility and COVID-19 precautions are available here.

To make an appointment, donors can call 1-800-933-2566 or visit the NYBC website. If you can’t donate blood, you can still support NYBC’s mission by texting ‘NYBC’ to ‘20222’ to give $25.