[ccfic caption-text format="plaintext"]
By Katrina Margolis
Hometown Weekly Reporter
The holiday season is the definitive season of giving. While we exchange gifts with each other, showing generosity to those we love and know well, it is also a time for selfless giving, giving to those who may need it more than those we know. A Red Cross blood drive set up at the Walpole Library this last Thursday was the perfect way for people to give selflessly to those in need. From 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., locals were welcome to come in and give blood.
“We’ve been very busy. We’ve had a lot of walk-ins. We had 33 appointments, which is a lot in itself an we’ve probably already had 10 walk-ins,” Marina DiCarlo, Supervisor of Collections, said. By mid-afternoon, there were four people still waiting in line to give blood, with only more to come. The library has held this event for a few years now. However, the drive is staffed by a different crew each time, so it’s hard to predict exactly how many donators will show up.
This season is busier for the Red Cross than the summer, as many people get into the giving mood. It takes a lot of work from the Red Cross team to get everything set up, however. “The actual setup when we come here, it’s the same every time - it’s like setting up a circus,” Marina explained. “He [a fellow coworker] comes from Dedham with all of the equipment in the truck and we meet him here, and we have 45 minutes to set it all up. We have to QC every piece of equipment - it’s like running around in circles to get it ready in time, but we usually make it okay.”
Despite some rainy weather, which thankfully was not snow, the giving spirit was felt by the residents of Walpole and the donation was a massive success.
