Sixty donors rolled up their sleeves at St. Agnes Parish Center, helping the St. Agnes Knights of Columbus Council No. 2548 collect 63 pints of blood during its third and final blood drive of 2026.
Last month’s drive brought the council’s total for the year to 168 pints — a 63 percent increase over 2025 — as longtime donors continued to support an effort that helps provide blood for lifesaving medical procedures and surgeries.
The drive was staffed by 13 Knights of Columbus volunteers and eight employees from the New York Blood Center.
John Madson, the St. Agnes blood drive coordinator, thanked donors who supported all three of the council’s blood drives this year. He said the increase was largely driven by returning donors, who accounted for most of the blood collected in 2026.
“We have made significant progress with motivating previous donors as they donated 95% of this year’s donations,” Madson said.
While returning donors have helped increase the council’s collections, Madson said new donors are needed to replace those who are no longer able to give blood.
The council encouraged eligible community members to consider becoming blood donors, noting that donated blood is used for lifesaving procedures and surgeries.
The three blood drives held by the council this year collected 168 pints, compared with 103 pints in 2025.
