ST. SIMONS, Ga.—The Unified Command for the St. Simons Sound Incident Response is hosting blood drives on May 21 and June 4 in St. Simons Island and Brunswick, respectively, to support the lifesaving mission of the American Red Cross.
The blood drive on May 21 is from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Coastal Kitchen’s River Room, 102 Marina Drive, St. Simons Island. The blood drive on June 4 is from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Embassy Suites hotel at 500 Mall Blvd., Brunswick, in the Magnolia Ballroom.
Members of the public interested in donating should sign up for appointments at https://www.redcrossblood.org/ and search by zip code (31522 for St. Simons Island and 31525 for Brunswick).
The Unified Command is responsible for the Golden Ray wreck removal and its pollution prevention and response efforts. The Unified Command includes the Coast Guard as the federal on-scene coordinator, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources as the state on-scene coordinator and Gallagher Marine Systems as the incident commander for the responsible party.
“We’re grateful for how the community is supporting our efforts here, so we’re always looking for opportunities to give back,” said Chris Graff, director of response for Gallagher Marine Systems and one of the incident commanders. “Partnering with the Red Cross will allow us to help hospitals take care of patients, especially at this critical time.”
In addition to donating, members of the Unified Command will also be on site to answer questions about the progress of the response operations.
Extra health precautions will be taken during the blood drives. Social distancing will be maintained, and if you do not have a face mask, the Red Cross will provide one. Using the Red Cross’s Rapid Pass at https://www.redcrossblood.org/ in advance can also save time and help maintain social distancing.
Information on the St. Simons Sound Incident Response is also available at the official website, www.ssiresponse.com.