Give Some Blood, Take a Bite and Suck On It

It's Friday night, there's a line for the movies so what do you do?

Give blood of course.

At least that's what and the Stanford Blood Center hope.

On Nov. 18 from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. the Stanford Mobile Blood Drive bus will be parked in front of the movie theater and will be available for donations.

And not only will donors get that warm and fuzzy feeling after doing something good, Stanford will also give them a free Stanford Blood Center reusable shopping bag. As for the after-donating goodies, will open up a "VIP Hospitality Room" where donors can then "take a bite" out of some of the restaurant's famous coffee cake samples and "suck on" hot cider to keep warm.

Room is limited, so appointments are encouraged and can be made here. According to the site, on Nov. 17 the center had a O- shortage.

If you donate, here are some things the site suggests to keep in mind:

On the day of your donation:

• Do not skip meals.
• Be sure to drink plenty of fluids (water/juices).
• Bring photo identification.

In order  to donate:

Donors must:

• Weigh 110 pounds or more.
• Be at least 17 years of age (16-year-olds may donate if their parent or guardian signs this form).
• Be feeling well with no symptoms of colds, flu or infection.
• Fill out a medical history form (which will be provided at the time of your donation) and discuss answers confidentially with a medical historian.

According to the website, blood donated to the Stanford Blood Center goes to the following hospitals and clinics:

• Stanford Hospital and Clinics
• Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford
• Palo Alto Medical Foundation Clinic
• El Camino Hospital, Mountain View
• El Camino Hospital, Los Gatos
• O'Connor Hospital, San Jose
• Palo Alto V.A. Hospital
• Livermore V.A. Hospital
• 3 free-standing local surgery centers.