MALLGOERS in SM City Tarlac can both enjoy shopping and winding up for a cause as the SM Foundation Inc. (SMFI) and Philippine Red Cross (PRC) Tarlac Chapter reactivated their mobile blood donation partnership drive.
Aside from customers, employees of the giant mall chain are also joining the two-day blood donation campaign until today, Thursday. The activity was set at the upper ground level of the mall from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Prior to donation, donors were given an orientation on the qualifications and requirements to share their precious fluid, its benefits, and the do's and don'ts before and after donating.
SMFI's Blood Bank Project, which was organized last year, collected 6,715 bags of blood across SM malls and corporate offices nationwide together with the Department of Health-Philippine Blood Center and respective PRC chapters where each mall is located.
"Each bag of donated blood can save the lives of up to three people since it contains transfusable components like platelets, red blood cells and white blood cells," SMFI said in a statement.
The donated blood bags were stored at the Philippine Blood Center and can be accessed by indigent patients should the need arise.
"The nationwide mobile blood donation drive is part of the social good effort of SM to provide accessible venues for mallgoers and nearby communities where they can help extend thousands of lives by donating blood," SMFI added.