Orange Township residents can donate blood on Aug. 21, at a free community drive organized with the American Red Cross, as the organization grapples with only the second national blood supply crisis in its history.

Sydney Herbert announced the drive for the township on Aug. 10. Residents can schedule an appointment at redcrossblood.org using zip code 43035 as the sponsor search or by calling 1-800-733-2767.

The specific venue and hours for the Aug. 21 drive have not been posted. Orange Township's offices are at 1680 E. Orange Road, Lewis Center; residents can call (740) 548-5430 for details.

The drive comes at a critical moment. The Red Cross declared a national blood supply crisis on July 27 after donations fell to a four-year summer low. The organization reported less than a one-day national supply of type O positive blood and began limiting distributions to individual hospitals.

Extreme heat, poor air quality and widespread foodborne illnesses have combined to reduce donor turnout this summer, USA Today reported. The only previous time the Red Cross declared a national blood crisis was in January 2022.

Chris Hrouda, president of Red Cross Biomedical Services, said in the July 27 announcement that inventories remain under significant strain and urged everyone eligible to make an appointment as soon as possible. The Red Cross says just three additional donors at each blood drive this summer could stabilize the national supply.

Linda Braddy, CEO of the Red Cross North Texas region, put it plainly in an Aug. 4 interview with KERA News: "People may think, I'm just one person, but one person makes a big difference."

Type O blood accounts for about 60% of Red Cross distributions and can be safely given to roughly 80% of patients. The Red Cross supplies about 40% of the nation's blood and aims to collect 12,500 units per day. The entire donation process takes about an hour.

As a thank-you, donors who give blood through Aug. 31 will receive a $20 Amazon gift card by email.