The San Juan County community blood drive, co-sponsored by the San Juan Island Lions Club and Puget Sound Blood Center, will take place in Friday Harbor Wednesday, Sept. 25, 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Mullis Community Senior Center, 589 Nash Street.

Walk-ins are welcome.

To schedule an appointment, however, contact, Curt VanHyning at cvanhyning@gmail.com or 317-8399; donors with appointments should go to the front of the line when arriving at the blood drive.

For questions about donor eligibility: http://www.psbc.org/programs/blood.htm.

Helpful hints:

1. Eat a healthy meal & drink plenty of fluids at least four hours prior to donating.

2. Complete a health history questionnaire & screening interview

3. Undergo a brief health check of blood pressure, pulse, temperature and iron level.

4. Relax while one unit (about one pint) of blood is collected.

5. Enjoy refreshments while remaining seated for about 10 minutes.

6. Your body begins to immediately start replenishing the blood you donated. To help this process, drink extra fluids, like water and juice, and avoid strenuous activity for 12 hours.