Ewing will hold blood drive Thursday

Ewing Middle School will hold a blood drive Thursday as part of the district’s Hurricane Katrina relief efforts.

The blood drive will be held at Ewing Middle School from 8:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. The donations will be collected by the Piedmont Blood Center, which provides blood to five area hospitals, including Upstate Carolina Medical Center.

Blood donations can be made by anyone who is 17 years or older, weighs at least 110 pounds and is in general good health, Piedmont Blood Center Administrative Director Glenda Cartee said. All blood types are needed, particularly those with Type O blood.

“We have a low supply of blood. The blood will go where there is a need,” Cartee said. “Nationally, we have 5 percent of residents donating blood to take care of the other 95 percent.”

Ewing Middle is offering several incentives to encourage participation in the event. Blood donors will receive Tshirts and discounts from local businesses.

The school is serving as the Cherokee County School District dropoff site for donations of nonperishable goods, water and baby items such as food, diapers, handy wipes and clothing. Those items will be loaded onto a tractor-trailer and transported to the Gulf Coast.

All donations should be delivered to the Ewing Middle gym no later than 3 p.m. Thursday.

A silent auction on the school’s Web site — http://www.cherokee1.k12.sc.us /ewing — will end the same day.

The school has already received $1,100 in bids for items such as local crafts, handmade purses, baked goods, a discount on drycleaning items donated by 249 Cleaners and an oil canvas donated by mural artist Roger Carroll.

Walk-ins are welcome at the blood drive. Appointments can be made by calling 489-3176.