With the holiday

rush in full swing, it's easy to overlook one of the easiest gifts to

give.

That's because

you can't get it in stores, on TV or even on the Internet. Best of all,

it's free, it takes less than an hour, and it could save someone's life.

Local residents

will have the chance to donate blood at a community drive Wednesday, Dec.

26, at The Gathering Place in Peachtree City from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Blood donors

are needed as the nation enters the week of heaviest demand on blood supplies:

between Christmas and New Year's Eve, according to the American Red Cross.

The drive also

comes at a time when the area's supply of O-negative the universal blood

type is down to less than one day, said Candice Gulden, a spokesman for

the blood services division of the American Red Cross.

"We are

looking for anybody to come, but especially those who know they have O-negative

blood," Gulden said. "The week between Christmas and New Year's

is traditionally the worst week of the year. It's a great concern to us."

Donors can

streamline the process somewhat by calling ahead for an appointment at

1-800-GIVE-LIFE, Gulden said. By doing so, donors are assured they will

be screened near their appointment time, depending on whether there are

other donors ahead of them who also made appointments, she added.

Donors can

expect to wait up to an hour for the whole process, unlike the massive

lines seen when Americans responded to give blood in droves after the

terrorist attacks on September 11, Gulden said.

"The response

we had after 9-11 was certainly extraordinary," Gulden said. "It

was the greatest response we've ever had for blood donations, and it was

wonderful."

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