It’s certainly not baseball season yet, but lots of people made their way to Dunkin' Donuts Park in Hartford Thursday.
It was one of two locations for NBC and Telemundo Connecticut’s New Beginnings Blood Drive.
As the country deals with a dangerously low blood supply, we’re so thankful for so many of you who have stepped up to the plate to donate and help save lives.
Organizers set a goal for 200 blood donations for the event and viewers hit a home run, surpassing that number by 5:45 p.m., with more donors still rolling up their sleeves.
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“It doesn’t require much. It doesn’t require money. It just requires a little bit of your time,” said donor Maria Cruz of Bristol. "It’s a little prick but it goes a long way."
Donors we spoke to at the blood drive say making the time to donate is more difficult than doing the actual donation.
“People are always very nice. Very helpful. It’s a very easy process, very safe,” said donor Roger Dayton, of Glastonbury.
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“I do it every couple of months and it’s painless. I wish more people who are capable of doing it would do it. It’s not that hard,” said Pete Sullivan, of West Hartford.
Despite Thursday's blood drive coming to an end, the Red Cross says people can still help.
”The answer is -- go online. Book an appointment near you. Use your zip code. It couldn’t be easier. And, get in the spirit of helping others,” said Richard Branigan, American Red Cross Chief Operating Officer.
The American Red Cross hope’s this compassion to help your neighbors in need continues in the days and weeks ahead, so we can turn this supply shortage into a surplus.
“It’s easy. It’s free. It doesn’t cost anything to donate and, you know, you are helping out people who are sick,” said Sullivan.
