Thousands of Las Vegans waited in line for hours Monday to donate blood in the wake of the weekend mass shooting.
People started showing up at the United Blood Services offices in Western Las Vegas as early as 2:30 a.m. and the line outside had grown to nearly 500 by mid-morning.
“There is a lot of people on social media asking what we can do,” said Las Vegan Ginger Munsell, who was collecting food and beverages that people dropped off for those waiting in line at the blood bank. “This is one of those ways we can all come together as a community and really make a difference.”
A woman donates blood at the United Blood Services/Credit: Brent Holmes
Las Vegas police asked Southern Nevadans to donate blood for those injured in the late Sunday mass shooting that killed nearly 60 and left 500 injured.
"If you have the ability to donate blood to help the cause, please do so," Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo said at a Monday morning news conference.
United Blood Services is accepting blood donations at these Southern Nevada locations:
West Charleston Donor Center
6930 W. Charleston Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV 89117
Green Valley Donor Center
601 Whitney Ranch Drive
Bldg. D, Suite 20
Henderson, NV 89014
Northwest Donor Center
4950 W. Craig Road
Las Vegas, NV 89130
“The immediate needs are for O-negative, O-positive and platelet donations, and donors of all types will be needed to replenish supply,” United Blood Services said in a statement.
All donations are on a walk-in basis. For more information call (877) 827-4376.
United Blood Services in Reno opened its blood banks early and encouraged donors to visit throughout the week to avoid overwhelming the system.
Also, visitors to the Red Cross website, redcrossblood.org, can locate a blood donation center or blood drive near them and make an appointment to donate later in the week because the need for blood is expected to remain high.