Those who donate to one northern Illinois blood bank this Saturday will receive something to take off the edge.
The Rock River Valley Blood Center in Belvidere is partnering with Lyfe Cannabis Dispensary for its third “Bleed for Weed” blood drive.
Heidi Ognibene, the chief operating officer at the center, said she got the idea from a blood center in California.
“I just called them and asked them what they did and how they, you know, paired it and framed it,” she explained. “And they gave me some ideas of like, what didn't work so great and what worked better. And then I ended up just approaching a dispensary in Rockford.”
She said the California center who gave her the idea is impressed with how successful the campaign has been.
“I mean, it's very highly attended," she said. "It's very sought after. People are very interested in it. Our last drive, we had 131 people come to the blood drive on a Saturday, which was phenomenal, which is a really good attendance for our blood drive.”
Ognibene said this campaign drives more people than some of the others.
The center will offer a gift of either a 1/8 of flower or a 100mg gummy to those who donate blood. Ognibene said they’ve partnered with other businesses in the past and has given out coupons, t-shirts and even beer.
The Bleed for Weed blood drive will take place from 7:00 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday Nov. 16 at The Rock River Valley Blood Center in Belvidere. Appointments are strongly recommended.
