SEVERAL BLOOD DRIVES SCHEDULED

The American Red Cross's mobile unit will visit the area for two upcoming blood drives.

The unit will be in Scott City on Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at SuperValu.

The unit will be in use again Thursday at a blood drive sponsored by the Southeast Missourian and the Downtown Merchants Association at the bottom of the Common Pleas Courthouse steps on Spanish Street. The blood drive will be held from noon to 6 p.m.

Several blood drives have been scheduled for the last week of August in preparation for the Labor Day holiday. Blood supplies will be needed since the holiday is traditionally a high-accident weekend.

On Wednesday a blood drive will be held at the Cape Girardeau Holiday Inn from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.

On Thursday Boatmen's Bank, 2 S. Mount Auburn Rd., will hold a blood drive from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

West Park Mall will hold a blood drive from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Aug. 31. Donors will receive T-shirts.

Summer is a time of high demand for blood supplies, but at the same time donations tend to drop off, said David Palmer, donor services consultant for the Red Cross.

"Summertime, typically from Memorial Day to Labor Day, it's really tough, because of all the activities," he said. Donors are out of town on vacation, school is out or hot weather may keep some people at home.

Once school starts, he said, donations typically pick up again.