Meta Helps Connect Blood Donors With Blood Bank of Hawai‘i

January marks National Blood Donor Month and Meta, formerly the Facebook company, is working to help connect blood donors with Blood Bank of Hawai‘i by making it easier for Hawai’i residents to find nearby blood donation centers.

Meta’s Blood Donations feature on Facebook allows users to sign up to receive notifications from blood donation centers near them, get alerts when the blood bank needs help and encourage their Facebook friends to donate, too.

Facebook users can click here to sign up for alerts, find a local donation center and schedule an appointment. Donors can also make an appointment by clicking here or calling 808-848-4770.

Currently, Blood Bank of Hawai‘i is experiencing a critical shortage, with less than a day’s supply of the most commonly used blood types. It needs 200 donors per day to meet demand statewide. With thousands of Hawai‘i residents diagnosed with COVID-19 daily, fewer people are donating, making the need for donors greater than in recent years.

Donating blood is safe, simple and saves lives. As part of its COVID-19 precautions, Blood Bank of Hawai‘i enhanced its screening process to ensure every donor can safely contribute.

Since launching the Blood Donations tool on Facebook in 2017, more than 100 million Facebook users globally have signed up to get notifications from blood donation centers. A Meta report showed that its donation tool helped increase first-time blood donations in the United States by nearly 20%.