During the holiday season, the need for blood donations at Cape Fear Valley Blood Donor Center grows even more urgent, as changing routines and increased travel contribute to a dip in regular donations. Despite this, the demand for blood remains steady or even increases due to a rise in accidents and emergencies. The center serves as the primary provider of blood for Fayetteville and surrounding areas, ensuring that donations directly support friends, neighbors and local patients in need.

To be eligible to donate, a person must:

• Be at least 16 years old with signed parental consent
• Be at least 17 years old, no consent required
• Weigh at least 110 pounds
• Be in good health

At each donation, a brief health screening is performed, and donors are encouraged to arrive well-rested, hydrated and having eaten a nutritious, iron-rich meal. It is also suggested to avoid caffeine and wear comfortable clothing with sleeves that roll up.

All blood types are needed. Donors can give platelets or whole blood. Platelets can be donated as frequently as every two weeks, while whole blood donations should be at least 56 days apart. Walk-ins and appointments are both accepted for whole blood. Appointments are necessary when donating platelets. Donations can be made at the center or at a local blood drive. The center works alongside community groups, businesses, schools and faith organizations to facilitate blood drives, providing marketing and incentives for participants.

By donating blood at the Blood Donor Center, donors are automatically enrolled in the

Blood Assurance Plan and begin to build blood credits. Each blood donation equals one

blood credit that may be kept by the donor or transferred to a family member or friend in

need. Blood credits may be used to replace blood or platelet charges for patients of the

Cape Fear Valley Health System or at any hospital or transfusion facility that participates

in the National Blood Exchange (NBE), a program of the American Association of Blood

Banks (AABB). Blood credits are redeemed by calling the Blood Donor Center at (910)

615-5433.

As Cumberland County’s only local blood source for Cape Fear Valley Medical Center and Highsmith-Rainey Memorial Hospital, the Blood Donor Center is a critical community asset. The center welcomes individual and group donations, and emphasizes the lasting local impact of every donation.

For more information, to check eligibility or to enroll in the Blood Assurance Plan, donors may call (910) 615-LIFE or (910) 609-6300, or visit https://www.capefearvalley.com/services/blood-donor-center. 

The center is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month. Conveniently located at 3357 Village Drive, Suite 150, in the Bordeaux Shopping Center behind Roses, the Cape Fear Valley Blood Donor Center is ready to support donors and patients throughout the year.