Tulsa Area United Way is hosting its third annual Day of Caring Food and Blood Drive on Friday, June 24. Several locations across Green Country will collect blood and food donations.

The food and blood drive brings together Tulsa Area United Way, Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma, American Red Cross and Oklahoma Blood Institute to raise critical food and blood donations in the Tulsa area. The goal this year is to collect 50 thousand pounds of food and 200 pints of blood.

In the past two annual food and blood drives, more than 100 thousand pounds of food and more than 350 pints of blood were donated.

The Oklahoma Blood Institute said their supply is less than half of what hospitals and patients currently need. The American Red Cross is experiencing a 10-year low. One blood donation can save three lives.

Dave Croteau, vice president of Jim Norton Auto Group, referenced inflation and wage stagflation that make it difficult for families to make ends meet.

“One in six Oklahoma adults deal with food insecurity, and one in four children in Oklahoma deal with food insecurity,” said Croteau. “We want to make food more accessible to every one of our neighbors who actually needs food.”

The most needed food items are canned fruit, canned vegetables, rice, pasta, peanut butter and canned protein.

You can stop by any of the following locations on Friday to donate food or blood.

Food drive locations, open 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.:

• BancFirst in Wagoner
• Broken Arrow Neighbors
• Caring Community Friends
• First Oklahoma Bank in Jenks
• Hilti
• Jim Norton T-Town Chevrolet
• Jim Norton Toyota
• LIFE Senior Services Adult Day Health
• Mabrey Bank in Bixby
• Oasis Fresh Market
• Okmulgee YMCA
• Owasso Community Resources
• Sand Springs Community Services
• Spirit Bank in Bristow
• Street School
• Supermercados Morelos (June 20 to June 26)
• Tulsa Area United Way
• Tulsa CARES

Blood drive locations, open 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.:

• Tulsa Area United Way
• W.L. Hutcherson Family YMCA
• Daily Family YMCA
• R.C. Dickinson Family YMCA
• Tandy Family YMCA
• Owasso Family YMCA
• Downtown YMCA
• Herman & Kate Kaiser YMCA
• Okmulgee Family YMCA (Thursday, June 23)

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