The City of Pullman has partnered with a blood drive provider to host multiple blood drives throughout 2019.

Cristin Reisenauer, City of Pullman maintenance and operations administrative specialist, said they have been working with Vitalant, a non-profit transfusion medicine organization, to host drives since the middle of last year.

“We have been hosting them on regularly scheduled intervals and we hope to continue that,” Reisenauer said.

She said the blood drive will be located in a bus on Paradise Street under Pullman City Hall’s covered parking garage. People are able to donate through walk-ins, Reisenauer said, or by signing up online and using the sponsor code cityofpullman. The blood drive will occur from 11 a.m. to 1:45 p.m., according to Vitalant’s website.

Reisenauer said the blood drive has a total of 18 spots and currently have 16 filled.

Vitalant handles the donated blood and determines how it is used, she said.

“I don’t know if [the blood] stays local to the community,” Reisenauer said. “But I do know there is a need throughout the community for blood.”

Reisenauer said the City of Pullman already has all the blood drive dates for 2019 planned and the next one will take place on March 13.

Donating blood is important and is something that should not scare people, Reisenauer said.

“You always hear people that are bothered by the thought of it,” Reisenauer said. “It is a quick and relatively painless way to give back to the community.”