CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) Fresh off a successful Broadcasters for Blood drive in the Charlottesville area last week, the American Red Cross is continuing its local push for blood donations with an event Tuesday at the Dairy Market.

“Having UVA hospital and having Augusta Health right down the road, having so many good facilities in the area, it gives people a connection to the community,” said Jason Krech, account manager for the Red Cross in the region. “It gives people a chance to know that their donation is having an impact locally. More and more people we’re seeing recently have such a personal connection to blood services. Either they needed some blood at the hospital or they know somebody who needed to transfusion or they know somebody who is in for.”

The organization will be set up from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday in the Brick Cellar at the Dairy Market. Donors can make an appointment at RedCrossBlood.org and use the sponsor code Dairy Market. Donors are eligible to receive a free Fandango movie ticket, up to $15, for their contribution.

The need for blood goes up in the summer months, but the number of donations typically drops, as people’s schedules become more jumbled with vacations and college students go home for the summer, Krech said.

The Red Cross runs about a drive a week in the Charlottesville and Albemarle area.

Some are larger events, like the Broadcasters drive – which brought in 220 pints – but many, like Tuesday’s effort at the Dairy Market, are smaller in scale, designed to make sure blood donation is as accessible as possible.

“We wanna just have a lot of these smaller drives so to give people as many possible opportunities to donate blood,” Krech said. “Even if their schedule doesn’t work for a big event like Broadcasters or something like that, or they can’t get over to wherever we’re hosting, we wanna give them as many possible chances to make that donation and contribute to their community.”

Potential donors don’t have to wait for a blood drive, however. The Red Cross has a fixed donation site at Albemarle Square that is open Tuesday through Friday. For hours and appointments, visit the website.