New England Patriots Charitable Foundation to host blood drive at Dana-Farber Field House

The New England Patriots continue their efforts to increase awareness of the importance of blood donation with a blood drive to be held Sunday, Nov. 2, at the Dana-Farber Field House at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.

"The New England Patriots Charitable Foundation is pleased to sponsor this event, and we encourage the community to come out and donate blood," said Josh Kraft, President of the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation. "The Kraft family and the Patriots organization have a long history of support for Dana-Farber through the Kraft Family Blood Donor Center and are proud to extend this partnership by hosting this event at the Dana-Farber Field House at Gillette Stadium."

The blood drive will benefit patients treated at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital. Appointments will be scheduled from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. To be eligible to donate blood you must be at least 17 years old and weigh a minimum of 110 pounds; valid photo identification is required.

For details, call 617-732-6286, email blooddonor@partners.org, or visit www.brighamandwomens.org/blooddonation. Donors will be entered into a raffle to win Patriots prizes.

The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Kraft Family Blood Donor Center and the Brigham and Women's Hospital Blood Donor Center are members of the Joint Program in Transfusion Medicine. Together these centers provide essential blood products to patients cared for in both institutions. The Kraft Center collects platelets; the BWH Donor Center collects whole blood and red cells.

The program's research and quality standards ensure the safety of the more than 60,000 transfusions performed annually at these patient care facilities.