Arizona Cardinals Announce Additional Blood Drives At State Farm Stadium

FootballNFL

March 31, 2020
Kelly Byrnes 0

Following the overwhelming success of their March 31 blood drive, the Arizona Cardinals will hold two additional drives next week.

The Cardinals organization is teaming with Anheuser-Busch to host a pair of blood drives April 7 and 8 at State Farm Stadium. Like their first donation event, the upcoming drives will be by appointment only. While registrants maxed out the team’s first blood drive in less than 24 hours, their April drives reached max capacity even faster, filling up all appointment slots in 14 hours.

“The response to the call for blood donations has been incredible but so is the need,” Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill said in a statement. “While the drives at State Farm Stadium help, they can only accommodate so many people. However, blood drives of all sizes are continuing throughout the state and we encourage everyone to visit www.redcrossblood.org, locate one near you and donate if you are able.”

Drives are set up with social distancing in mind, utilizing the whole of State Farm Stadium to accommodate donors in a safe and spread out fashion. Meanwhile, other NFL venues are taking on new roles as COVID-19 testing sites amid the widespread cancellation of sports and events. Florida’s Hard Rock Stadium and Raymond James Stadium in particular are finding new use amid the NFL offseason as the virus ramps up.

In an effort to help those impacted by the pandemic, teams across the league are stepping up to help in various ways. Cardinals linebacker Chandler Jones donated 150,000 meals to residents in Arizona and his native New York, which is now the epicenter of the crisis in the U.S. Bidwell led the franchise’s efforts by contributing $1 million to the AZ Coronavirus Relief Fund. The Los Angeles Rams raised over $2 million through their virtual telethon to help area organizations while Saints quarterback Drew Brees donated $5 million to aid the hard-hit Louisiana.

Arizona Cardinals Announce Additional Blood Drives At State Farm Stadium