SULLIVAN COUNTY — For the month of June, donating blood at participating Red Cross locations will net you a certificate for a free pint of ice cream, including right here in Sullivan County.

This is a very successful decade-old program which has collected more than 104,000 blood donations since its 2016 foundation.

These past nine years have seen the collection of blood cells, platelets, and plasma from nearly 61,000 donors.

“[We do this] to help bring awareness [to donation importance],” Public Relations Manager in Marketing, Robin Cooper, told the Democrat. “We started this program because demand is there.”

For the month of June Stewarts Shops in 30 counties across New York State [including Sullivan] will donate a certificate for a free pre-packaged pint of gelato or ice cream to blood donors at participating Red Cross locations.

“We have a 10-year friendship [with Stewarts],” Westchester Red Cross Director of Communications Abby Adams told the Democrat. “This is a great and fun way to donate.”

Stewarts’ website highlights the ever-increasing need for blood donations to assist in treatment of accident and burn victims, as well as cancer patients and community members who are in the recovery process from recent surgeries.

“We started in 2016 because that demand is so strong,” stated Cooper. 

They also state that blood and platelet donations are “needed every two seconds in the United States”.

“We’re so grateful for Stewarts for this,” stated Adams. “This will ensure that we have blood on the shelves for when people need it.”