The last Ancilla College Blood Drive of the school year will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday, April 10, at the college.

Ancilla College is located just two miles south of U.S. 30 near Plymouth. Donors can sign up at the college but walk-ins are welcome.

The Ancilla Blood Drive is open to students, faculty, staff and the public. The goal is to gather 27 units of blood plasma for use by local and regional health care institutions. Free refreshments will be available for all donors and friends.

According to the American Red Cross, every two seconds, someone needs blood. Every minute, patients use more than 36 units of blood or blood products. And every day approximately 40,000 units of blood are used throughout the U.S..

The blood supply, for obvious reasons, always need replenishment. Every day people diagnosed with illnesses such as cancer, leukemia and sickle cell disease, all which utilize blood for treatment. In treating chronic disease and illness, many people may require up to 200 units of blood.

One pint of blood can help up to three people. Each unit of blood can be separated into four components – red cells, plasma, cryoprecipitate and platelets. These components can help as many as three different hospital patients. A unit of blood is roughly equivalent to a pint. Adult males have about 12 pints of blood in their bodies and females have about eight pints.

Nearly all blood used for transfusion in the United States is drawn from volunteer donors like the ones that come to Ancilla. Whole blood can be donated every 56 days, platelets every 7 days and plasma can be donated every 28 days.