EVERETT — Facing the lowest summer blood supply shortage in 4 years, BloodworksNW is alerting donors in Puget Sound to give blood as the American Red Cross has declared a national blood crisis.
“We have been in a code red situation for the last several weeks,” Juan Cotto, BloodworksNW Director of Government Affairs, tells EverettPost.com, regarding the precariously low blood supply level. Pointing to Sunday’s fatal shooting at The Bite of Seattle, Cotto underscores, “when you see what happened at the Seattle Center on Sunday night, that puts a strain on your blood supply.” Three people were killed and four injured–including a 2-year old boy–in a shootout on the Seattle Center grounds just after 6 p.m. Sunday in what Seattle Police are investigating as a gang-related shooting.
Cotto says, “We call the time between Memorial Day and Labor Day, the 100 deadliest days. And t’s simply because the the blood supplies naturally dip. We depend upon donations from high school and college students, which we have many in the area. What happens in the summertime is we lose those donations. And then, of course, when you add in that, people are going out and living their lives, we worked to see if we could push blood donations somewhere in there, as people are climbing mountains and fishing and boating and doing all these different things. And what happens is, we see an uptick in accidents.”
According to the Red Cross, blood donations have fallen to a four-year summer low, worsening this season’s emergency blood shortage. All blood types are needed, but the situation is especially dire for type O blood as the Red Cross is now limiting distributions of these blood products to hospitals. The supply of type O positive blood has now dropped below a one-day supply.
“We are down right now almost 25,000 blood donation appointments as we’re heading into the month of August, and through the month of August,” Cotto calculates. “We need about a thousand donors a day to see if we can hit those numbers. This is one of those ways where, when you make a blood donation, you feel so much better about yourself and that you’ve supported a community need.”
For people who have never donated blood, Cotto understands the hesitancy, particularly if it involves fear of needles,”So we have streamlined the process for everyone and the biggest fear that people have, of course, is the fear of needles, but what we’ve learned is that when people think about where this blood is going and the impact that it has (to help patients) that the needle becomes very small.”
Donors are asked to act immediately to help save lives.
Paul Sullivan, senior vice president of donor services for the Red Cross says, “If just three more donors gave at each blood drive this summer, we could help the blood supply rebound and ensure hospitals have the blood products they need throughout the remainder of the season.”
Cotto encourages donors to sign up immediately for blood donation through the BloodworksNW.org website. In downtown Everett, BloodworksNW, has a donation site at 2703 Oakes Ave. To find a mobile blood donation site closer to your location, click here.
The donation process takes about 60 minutes, according to Cotto. “Phlebotomists, the people who work with you to make the blood donation, they make it so easy, and they work with you, and they will basically hold your hand through the entire process. Then, after the blood donation, the best part about it, is you get a cookie at the end,” he says referencing the encouragement for donors to nosh some extra calories and rehydrate with juice after a donation to prevent light-headedness from the blood draw.
The Red Cross is organizing blood drives in several Snohomish County areas now through August 15.
Arlington
8/3/2026: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m., Stilly Valley Health Connections, 3405 173rd Place NE
Bothell
8/6/2026: 1 p.m. – 6 p.m., Wandering Creek Bothell, 831 240th Street SW
Everett
7/30/2026: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., American Red Cross Everett, 1010 SE Everett Mall Way, Suite 202
8/5/2026: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., American Red Cross Everett, 1010 SE Everett Mall Way, Suite 202
8/12/2026: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., American Red Cross Everett, 1010 SE Everett Mall Way, Suite 202
Lake Stevens
8/11/2026: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., LifePoint Church, 14619 28th St NE
8/14/2026: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m., Lake Stevens Community Food Bank, 8021 20th St SE
Lynnwood
8/4/2026: 1 p.m. – 6 p.m., Lynnwood Stake, 17321 44th Ave W
8/10/2026: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m., Alderwood Mall, 3000 184th St. SW
Here are other Red Cross donation locations through August 15 in Western Washington. Please encourage someone you know who is capable of donating to do so if they live near the following locations.
Grays Harbor County
Westport
7/30/2026: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m., South Beach Regional Fire Authority, 805 State Route 105
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King County
Kirkland
7/31/2026: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m., Chelsea at Juanita Village, 11718 97th Ln NE
8/14/2026: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m., The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Kirkland, 7720 126th Ave NE
Seattle
7/27/2026-8/13/2026: Seattle WA Blood Donation Center, 1900 25th Ave S: check RedCrossBlood.org for specific dates and times
7/31/2026: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m., Recology King County MRF, 7 S. Idaho St.
8/7/2026: 10:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., Thornton Place Apartments, 337 NE 103rd St
8/9/2026: 8 a.m. – 2:45 p.m., Seattle WA Blood Donation Center, 1900 25th Ave S
8/13/2026: 12:30 p.m. – 6 p.m., Bethany Community Church West Seattle, 8600 9th Ave SW
Shoreline
8/10/2026: 9 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., Seattle Scottish Rite, 1207 N 152nd St
Woodinville
8/4/2026: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., Sierra Construction, 14800 NE North Woodinville Way
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Kitsap County
Bremerton
8/13/2026: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Silverdale, 9256 Nels Nelson Road NW
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Mason County
Hoodsport
7/29/2026: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., Cushman Fire Department, 240 N Standstill Drive S
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Pacific County
Long Beach
8/6/2026: 1 p.m. – 6 p.m., Long Beach Grange, 5717 Sandridge Rd
8/7/2026: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., Long Beach Grange, 5717 Sandridge Rd
Raymond
8/5/2026: 1 p.m. – 6 p.m., Elks Lodge #1292, 326 3rd St
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Pierce County
Gig Harbor
7/30/2026: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., Gig Harbor City Hall, 3510 Grandview St
Lakewood
7/31/2026: 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., Church of LDS Lakewood Stake, 10018 Farwest Drive SW
Puyallup
8/3/2026: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., South Hill Mall, 3500 S Meridian
Tacoma
7/30/2026: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m., Mi Centro, 1208 S 10th St
8/4/2026: 12 p.m. – 5 p.m., Scouting America Pacific Harbors Council, 4802 S 19th Street
8/12/2026: 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., 1201 Pacific, 1201 Pacific Ave
University Place
7/29/2026: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., American Red Cross University Place, 4310 Bridgeport Way W
8/7/2026: 8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., American Red Cross University Place, 4310 Bridgeport Way W
8/10/2026: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., American Red Cross University Place, 4310 Bridgeport Way W