A blood drive will be held at Harp’s Grocery store in Gore from 1 to 6 p.m. Thursday.

Potential donors can schedule an appointment for the blood drive by visiting www.UnitedBloodServices.org or calling (479) 651-7168.

Diane Wajszczuk of United Blood Services in Fort Smith, Ark., said it takes large numbers of blood donations every day to meet the needs of area patients and to be ready for emergencies.

Wajszczuk explained that United Blood Services uses special equipment to collect one or more specific blood components at one donation.

Wajszczuk said each blood donation can help several patients. At the blood center, trained laboratory technicians separate the whole blood donations into components (including red blood cells, plasma and cryoprecipitate). Platelets are collected separately, using special equipment that separates platelets from whole blood right at the donor chair and returns the donor’s red cells and plasma.

The components differ, Wajszczuk explained. Red blood cells are used for surgery patients. Plasma is the golden, liquid portion of the blood. It provides clotting factors that help control bleeding for surgery and trauma patients. Platelets are required for cancer and leukemia patients undergoing chemotherapy. Cryoprecipitate is a concentrate of clotting factor that is used to control massive bleeding during surgery or trauma care. While individual components are transfused for specific medical needs, a patient with a serious injury may require several different components.

Volunteer blood donors must be at least 16 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds and be in good health. Additional height and weight requirements apply to donors 22 and younger, and donors who are 16 or 17 must have signed permission from a parent or guardian. All blood donors receive a free cholesterol test.