The following was submitted by the Orcas Island Lions Club.

The Lions Club will hold a blood drive on Dec. 17 from noon to 6 p.m. at the Eastsound Firehouse.

Orcas Island will help provide about 16 percent of the 800 Units of blood needed just on that day by patients in the Pacific Northwest. Come help your Lions Club partnered with Bloodworks Northwest provide this life-giving service.

In a friendly competition with Friday Harbor (that we may win this month), Orcas Islanders, some with a lifetime total of six or eight or even ten gallons, will donate about 130 Units of blood between 12 Noon and 6PM at the Firehouse just North of Eastsound by the airport.

If your schedule is tight you may schedule ahead of time by email or by phone at losleben@rockisland.com or 360-376-6804. There is plenty of parking in back and we will be in the main garage this time. Follow the signs.

In the future we plan to improve both our hours of donation and scheduling capabilities to provide better flexibility to hardworking islanders. In March the six hour window for donations will move to 11AM to 5PM, extending the “lunch hour,” our busiest time.

In March we will also offer enhanced pre-scheduling of appointments through Bloodworks Northwest, both online and by phone, so that you may be sure of getting in and returning to work on time. You may begin using this feature at the “Canteen” after you donate this month. We will provide a computer and instruction in using this new feature.

Finally, are you scared of needles and can’t stand blood? We may joke about the vampires that help collect donations, but these folks are really good. We see them every few months. There is no “blood” visible anywhere, and we like them, they are very friendly and professional all at once. If you would like to look at the benefits donating your blood will provide to others, navigate to bloodworksnw.org.

Check us out, have a snack, take a look. It may change your mind. And we have new touchscreen tablets!