CBCO partners with food pantry for donations

Community Blood Center of the Ozarks' annual Miracle of Giving Blood Drive is allowing those who give blood this year to make their donations go a little further.

Donors during the annual blood drive receive a T-shirt or ice scraper for participating, but for each donor who decides to forgo the gift, CBCO will make a donation to Ozarks Food Harvest that will provide a meal for 12 hungry people.

CBCO Executive Director Don Thomson said in a news release that he hopes the extra gift will give potential donors the boost they need to roll up their sleeves.

"I know that our blood donors already have the giving spirit, and I'm hopeful that they'll see this program as yet another way to have a positive impact on their community," Thomson said in the release.

The blood drive runs Dec. 14 - Jan. 3 at CBCO's three donor centers in Springfield and Joplin.

"At this time of unprecedented need, we are sincerely grateful for this partnership with the Community Blood Center of the Ozarks," said Bart Brown, president and CEO of Ozarks Food Harvest, in the release. "Ozarkers can give back to their community over the holidays while saving lives plus helping to feed families who are struggling to make ends meet."

Ozarks Food Harvest collects food and distributes it to more than 340 relief agencies in 29 counties, reaching more than 41,000 people a month.[[In-content Ad]]