 The American Red Cross has issued an urgent call for blood donors after a difficult 4th of July week for donations and that has left an emergency blood shortage. Our reporter Rachel Johnson has the story. The Red Cross escalated its call for blood donors after the previous holiday week prompted much fewer people to donate blood. Eligible donors of all types are needed, but especially those with type O blood. More than 550 fewer blood drives were organized last week than during a typical week. This could equate to as many as 15,000 fewer donations than needed, causing donations to be used faster than they come in. It's a gift of life. It's perhaps the number one gift of life that you can give that we all have. Even those for some people, it's not so easy to, you know, different deferral kind of issues, but for those who can, it's wonderful that they give that gift of life. The Immaculate Heart Catholic Church in Cross Lake hosted their blood drive at just the right time. We've been doing a blood drive here the Wednesday after the 4th of July for many, many years. The Red Cross makes it easy to donate blood. You can schedule an appointment ahead of time by using their free Red Cross Blood Donor app or by visiting RedCrossBlood.org. You know, I just give blood for, usually about four times a year, started when I was, my parents kind of instilled it into me to save, you know, to save lives and help people out. The blood donation process takes about an hour from the time you arrive, from the time you leave. The donation itself takes about eight to ten minutes. I just was talking and they said four percent of people give blood and like that is just crazy to me. I just think it's, I think it's something everybody that is able to should be able to do to help people. Reporting from Cross Lake, Rachel Johnson, Lakeland News. Upcoming blood drives are being held in Pequot Lakes on July 13th at Pequot Lakes High School and in Brainerd on July 27th at the 1st Lutheran Church. For more information, you can visit our website at lptv.org. If you enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland PBS.