Ocean County Mall to host blood drive

In an effort to meet the needs of the community's growing demand for blood, Ocean County Mall, 1201 Hooper Ave., Toms River, will sponsor a blood drive from 10.30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 20.

"Our community's supply of blood is increasingly low," said a New Jersey Blood Services representative. "As the demand for transfusions increases, donor and donation rates are not keeping pace with this demand. The state of New Jersey imports over 70,000 pints of blood each year from other U.S. blood centers just to meet local hospital patient needs. We simply need more local donors, more frequent donations and more organizations to sponsor blood drives if we ever hope to meet the goal of blood self-sufficiency in our community."

For the blood drive on Oct. 20, there will be a bus parked in the mall's parking lot by the main entrance, near Boscov's and the flagpole. Each donor will receive free cholesterol testing. To make a donation appointment or to schedule a blood drive, call (800) 933-2566 or go to www.nybloodcenter.org. Walk-in donors are always welcome.