‘Pints for Pies’ draws in over 200 donors
Music boomed in the background as anxious locals waited to give blood at the 11th annual ‘Pints for Pies’ blood drive held Wednesday in the Black Bear Diner parking lot.
‘Pints for Pies’ is a kickoff event preparing the community for the annual Relay for Life cancer walk on Oct. 6.
Cynthia Galvan, the blood drive organizer, staffed the event with help from Porterville high school student volunteers.
“This is my baby,” a proud Galvan stated regarding the event. “We started it first with Mary, the Black Bear manager, and now Jose’s the manager and they have been very supportive. We’ve done it in other Black Bear locations and affiliated it with Relay.”
Over 200 donors participated in the blood drive, giving at least one vile of blood each.
“For every unit of blood donated it saves three lives,” said volunteer coordinator and Porterville Academy Health and Sciences teacher Carrie Gonzalez.
Gonzalez had organized 25 to 30 student volunteers to assist at the blood drive as part of the students’ community hours for the health and science program.
“In our health academy the whole purpose of what were doing is to promote wellness and promote preventative health in our community. So coming out here, seeing how these events are orchestrated, witnessing the nurses and their exchange with the patients gives our students those soft skills for later on,” Gonzalez stated. “We want them to be able to maneuver socially and professionally outside of the school, that’s what we promote in our health academy so this is a great way for them to do that.”
Galvan was beyond grateful and supportive for the students’ help, not just for the blood drive but also for Relay for Life.
“When you come out to Relay and see these young adults, they’re amazing. They’re always willing to help and step up. You don’t ever see any of them just sitting down doing nothing. They are always doing something,” said Gonzalez.
Four separate blood donation trucks lined the outsides of the parking lot, and a maximum of six people at once were allowed in the trucks to donate.
Before entering the trucks, each individual donor had to go through a process before being cleared.
It began by waiting in line to sign in and receiving a number. A questionnaire form had to be completed and a preliminary blood test was performed. If all was clear, the donor was able to wait until their number was called out to give their donation. If the donor was under the age of 18, a parent was required to be on site to sign a waiver form. The entire process took a total of about 45 minutes, and when one donor’s process finished, another participant was in line to take their place.
When asked why she made the blood drive a part of the Relay for Life Galvan answered, “I incorporated it with Relay because I wanted to do it the day of the event but you can’t do anything strenuous for 24 hours. So then I thought the Wednesday before because then we can get the moral support going and everyone involved, gets the teams going.”
Galvan’s relay team, Friends and Family Forever, was out promoting for the Relay with a canopy set up and goodies that were available for purchase. All monies raised by relay teams is donated to the American Cancer Society to help win the fight against cancer.
Relay for Life is set for October 6 and 7 from 9 a.m. to 9 a.m. at Summit Charter Collegiate Academy located at 15550 Redwood Street in Porterville.