Blood drive at Carson Middle School

A community blood drive will be 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday at Carson Middle School, 1140 W. King St.

The Give from the Heart Blood Drive is sponsored by Miles Construction.

"We decided to get involved with a good community service," said Jennifer Duve, accounting manager for the construction company. "We know this time of year there is a shortage, and we're looking for programs that we can support through the community."

Steve Thomas, the donor recruitment director for United Blood Services, encouraged the community to support the drive.

"Only about 5 percent of the population donates blood," he said. "We need about 150 donors a day to meet our commitments to local hospitals."

He said the need for blood is ever increasing as baby boomers shift from blood donors to blood users.

He said people are less likely to donate during inclement weather, so there is a push to get donations in mild conditions.

"We like to keep five days of inventory on the shelf," he said.

Duve said she'd also like to see a lot of participation.

"It's free. All it is is a little bit of time," she said. "We can all spend some time to help somebody out.

"We're just hoping for a great response."

Other supporters included the Nevada Appeal, the Carson City School District, the Carson Nugget and McDonald's.