Assemblyman Dave McDonough (R,C,I-Merrick), along with Long Island Blood Services, will be hosting a Blood Drive on Wednesday, August 16 at the Merrick Road Golf Clubhouse between the hours of 1:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. There is a blood shortage at this time of year and hospitals are in dire need of additional donations. Volunteering to give blood can save a life and keep our community safe and healthy.

“I host these blood drives every year to help keep as many of our citizens as healthy and safe as possible,” McDonough said, “A single pint of blood can save a life, and by donating you’ll be saving potentially someone’s family member, someone’s friend, someone’s neighbor. It cannot be stressed enough how important these types of drives are to our community and our families. I urge everyone to consider making an appointment and volunteering to donate on August 16 to help save as many local lives as we can.”

McDonough has held an annual blood drive for many years and reminds those who want to volunteer to bring a valid ID and remember their Social Security Number. Along with being over 110lbs, donors must be at least 17 years of age (16 with parental permission), eat well, drink water prior to the appointment and not have received a tattoo within the past 12 months (unless applied in New Jersey).