Baltimore Blood Drive Also Helps Collect Donations For Back-To-School Gear For Students
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Walking into the Su Casa furniture store in Fells Point Tuesday, it was clear the blood drive underway wasn't your typical one.
It wasn't just blood being collected; organizers were also seeking donations for laptops and all of the equipment needed for students heading back to school virtually this fall.
"People are still showing up so it's been awesome," she said. "We're trying to do this every 56 days when you can donate and try to give back to the community. We've had blood drives in Pikesville, at synagogues... at breweries."
In April, Furman, a cancer survivor who has been described as a "force of nature," put out a survey to see who would be interested in donating blood. After teaming up with the American Red Cross, Furman saw 250 people show up.
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"It's been really cool to see people who come back and donate every time. We have a lot of repeat donors," she said. "I put it up on social media, people see it and want to get involved and jump into the opportunity."
Teaming up with Furman and the blood drive was Su Casa, which generated laptops for Baltimore City students learning from home. Nick Johnson is in charge of that effort.
"We've partnered with Patterson Park Charter School. They identified they're about 90 devices short. We just started this campaign a little less than a week ago and we've already gotten to 26 devices," he said. "Our goal is 90."
Thousands of blood drives have been canceled across the country due to the pandemic, leading to a dire shortage. Furman and Johnson are making sure Baltimore is well taken care of as a whole as the city stares adversity in the face looking to come out resilient on the other side.
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