When Russellville Hospital hosts a blood drive with LifeSouth Community Blood Centers May 19 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., donors will be helping at the perfect time.

“As summer approaches, we are focusing on building up our blood supply, because summer often brings shortages,” said LifeSouth Shoals assistant regional manager Jody St. John. “Preventing a shortage before it happens is our goal.”

St. John said when school is out, blood donations frequently take a drop because families and many regular donors are traveling. “School vacation means we aren’t holding blood drives at our high schools, and those student donations are vital to meeting the needs of our hospitals, so we need donors who might not have given recently to give in the summer,” St. Johns said.

Those donations, she said, hit home.

“LifeSouth is a community blood center, and people from the community donate to help people who are their friends, their neighbors and their family members,” St. John said.

The blood drive will be held at the hospital, 15155 Highway 43. Donors must be at least 17 or 16 with parental permission, weigh a minimum of 110 pounds and be in good health. A photo ID is also required.

“It only takes 45 minutes to save a life,” St. John said.

As a special thank-you, all donors will receive a recognition item and coupons. For more information, call LifeSouth at 256-383-3535 or Deborah Lindsey at Russellville Hospital at 256-332-8676.