Wednesday's

blood drive at The Gathering Place in Peachtree City was a smashing success.

A total of

39 units were collected, making the drive one of a few since Thanksgiving

that has exceeded its goal, according to Candice Gulden of the Blood Services

Division of the American Red Cross.

"We need

to have a number of blood drives like this one to meet the needs of Georgia

for the holidays," Gulden said. "They met the goal and surpassed

it."

The week between

Christmas and New Year's Eve typically presents the highest demand on

the state's blood supply.

The need for

blood is even more crucial now, with supplies of the universal O-negative

blood down to just a half-day's worth, Gulden added.

The Red Cross

was flooded with a glut of blood donors immediately after the Sept. 11

terrorist attacks. But since Thanksgiving, donors have dwindled while

the need for more blood has increased.

A unit of blood

has a shelf life of just 42 days, so donors are constantly needed, Golden

said. Donors can give blood every 56 days if they choose, she added.

The Red Cross

encourages citizens to donate blood just twice a year. If all Georgians

did that, the state's blood needs would be met annually, Gulden said.

Currently,

Georgia has to import blood from other states to meet its needs, Gulden

said.

The Red Cross

also tries to make donating blood as safe as possible by using technicians

whose only job is to draw blood from donors, Gulden added.

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