On Friday, July 27, Greenbelt SUBWAY® restaurant owner Dhvani Vyas will do his part to help meet that daily goal.
Partnering with the local American Red Cross, SUBWAY® will host a blood drive from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the 7555 Greenbelt Rd. SUBWAY® location in Greenway Shopping Center. The franchisee hopes many area residents will pre-register to join him in this effort to help save the lives of others.
Participation is rewarding
As a special incentive, each individual who pre-registers to donate by July 18 will receive a coupon valued at $1 off any foot-long sub or 50 cents off any six-inch sub. Those who sign up will be asked to provide an e-mail address, to which Vyas will send a reminder the day before the blood drive.
According to the American Red Cross, 97 percent of people in America will either need blood themselves, or know someone who will, at some point during their lives. However, only five percent of the eligible public actually donates.
“Donating blood is an easy way to help your local community,” stated Vyas. “Each of us knows of at least one person who has needed blood due to some type of emergency. By taking a few minutes out of your day to donate, you help someone else’s family member, friend or other loved one.”
Although pre-registration is encouraged, it is not mandatory to be able to donate the day of the event. Interested individuals will be able to walk up to the mobile American Red Cross van parked in front of the SUBWAY® restaurant and stand in line to donate.
During the blood drive, SUBWAY® will give a free cookie to each person who donates, while the American Red Cross will be handing out orange juice.
All customers, regardless of donation, will have the chance to win one of three gift cards to local retailers, courtesy of the American Red Cross and SUBWAY®. The gift cards will be raffled off just after 4 p.m. A special $5 meal deal, tax included, also will be available to all customers regardless of donation. The deal includes the customer’s choice of one of six select six-inch subs, chips and a drink.
Vyas intends to be the first in line to donate and wishes many others will follow his lead. He added, “I hope people will realize the impact blood donation may have on the lives of others in our community.”
Holiday took toll on blood supply
The American Red Cross uses blood donations to treat a variety of patients, including those with cancer, sickle cell anemia and other blood disorders, burn victims, trauma patients, and everyday surgical procedures. Donation requirements typically fluctuate, depending on the time of year.
Following the July Fourth holiday, the blood supply has dropped to a critically low level, and local patients depending on blood transfusions for emergency and routine treatments could be put in jeopardy of not receiving the blood they need for survival.
Individuals with an immediate interest in donating blood can arrange an appointment to fit their schedules by calling the American Red Cross at 1-800-GIVE-LIFE (1-800-448-3543)
For more information regarding local SUBWAY® Restaurants and the blood drive at the SUBWAY® in Greenway Shopping Center, please contact Lia Luisi at (919) 463-9680 or via e-mail at lia.luisi@thinkpartnership.com.
About SUBWAY® Restaurants
With more than 27,000 locations in 86 countries, the SUBWAY® Restaurant chain is the world’s largest submarine sandwich franchise. In 2002, the SUBWAY® chain surpassed McDonald’s in the number of restaurants open in the United States and Canada. Headquartered in Milford, Conn., the SUBWAY® Restaurant chain was co-founded by Fred DeLuca and Dr. Peter Buck in 1965. The SUBWAY® chain was ranked the number one franchise opportunity in Entreprenuer magazine’s Annual Franchise 500 ranking for 2007. This marks the 15th time in 20 years that SUBWAY® Restaurants has received this distinction. For more information on SUBWAY® Restaurants, please visit http://www.subwayfreshbuzz.com.
