New Maple Grove Blood Donation Center Aims To Increase Giving

Maple Grove leaders helped cut the ribbon on a new Memorial Blood Centers (MBC) location on the city’s Main Street.

MBC is a nonprofit blood donation center that provides blood to hospitals across the region. It already has a few locations in the Twin Cities metro, including one in Plymouth.

“We opened for donations a couple weeks ago, about three weeks ago,” said Phil Losacker, the company’s community relations manager. “We’ve already seen donors making a move here because of the convenience of the location.”

Losacker said one of MBC’s goals is to make blood donation easier for the community. Bringing it closer to donors, he hopes, will help get them in the door.

While the need is as high as ever, Losacker said people tend to slow down on donating in the summer time.

“We use the same amount of blood in January, as we use in July, as we use in October. What changes is peoples’ willingness to donate and their availability to donate,” Losacker said.

North Memorial Health, which has hospitals in Robbinsdale and Maple Grove, is a recipient of MBC blood supplies.

Donors can walk in to the facility during its open hours, but appointments are preferred. Officials ask that you book appointments on the Memorial Blood Centers website or call the center at (888) 448-3253.

Maple Grove and Memorial Blood Center leaders cut the ribbon outside the new location on Main Street.

Maple Grove