Donorama Fell Short, Recovery Drive Planned

Red Cross officials are blaming the economy for a poor showing at this week’s Donorama blood drive.The Donorama was held Monday and Tuesday at the Executive West Hotel. The Red Cross hoped to collect 15 hundred units of blood, but came up more than 400 units short of the goal.Red Cross spokesperson Loni White says fewer people are willing to make the trip to donate blood, and workplace drives have also stopped.“Just in the last month or so, we have seen where businesses that once were thriving, where we had blood drives, are no longer doing that," she says. "They are either cutting staff or cutting shifts or they have just closed anyway.”The Red Cross will hold a recovery drive next Wednesday at its downtown offices. The agency hopes to gather at least 200 units of blood.