NY Blood Center, MTA Hosts Annual Drive At Grand Central Terminal

NEW YORK CITY — New York Blood Center (NYBC) and the MTA Metro-North Railroad hosted their 13th annual blood drive on Thursday.

The 2025 blood drive saw a total of 423 donations, officials said. Each blood donor received two tickets to a select 2025 New York Mets home game.

The MTA Metro-North Railroad has been a longtime supporter and partner of NYBC, hosting blood drives every year and collecting a total of 3,600 donations over more than a decade.

NYBC recently issued an urgent call for type O+ and O- blood donations. The current supply of O- blood has dropped to just two days, and overall collections are nearly 20% below the level needed to meet hospital demands. This drop in donations is due to seasonal factors such as school breaks, holiday travel, and busy spring schedules.

“We’re grateful to the MTA Metro North Railroad who work tirelessly every day to keep New York City moving and have been essential partners to New York Blood Center in helping us keep up with the region’s demand for blood,” Andrea Cefarelli, Senior Vice President at New York Blood Center, said.

“This time of year is critical for blood collection – as we work to build our inventory before the summer months when we typically see fewer blood donors. We hope that partnerships like this will help encourage the local residents, MTA employees and commuters to make an appointment to donate today."

Blood donors can give every 56 days, and platelet donors can give twice per month. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently lifted some blood donor eligibility restrictions.

To view current eligibility guidelines, visit nybc.org or call 800.688.0900