Iowa State is holding its annual Fall Blood Drive this week. The drive is occurring all week, ending 5 p.m. Thursday.

People can donate blood from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Great Hall in the Memorial Union.

“It’s a good cause and it helps a lot of lives in many ways,” said Laura Lawler, senior in dietetics and one of the directors of the blood drive.

This year the Blood Drive is using a mascot, B-Positive, as a promotion tool. B-Positive has his own Instagram and Twitter account that students can follow to see what he is doing.

“We made him an actual volunteer spot this year,” Lawler said.

The Blood Drive is run by student volunteers and any other people in the community who want to volunteer their time. Those who want to volunteer can go to the ISU blood drive website.

Donating blood is purely voluntary. However, there are certain criteria that must be met in order to donate blood.

According to the ISU Blood Drive recommendations, a donor who is over 18 years old must be at least 120 pounds.

“You can’t donate blood if you were anywhere in Africa,” Lawler said.

If someone has been anywhere that has high levels of malaria he or she is unable to donate, said Chrissy Jones, one of the directors of the blood drive.

There are things that can help prevent sickness and fainting during blood donation. 

“Drink water. It is a really big deal to stay hydrated,” Jones said. From experience, she has noticed that the more water you drink, the faster the process goes.

Donors should make sure to eat a full breakfast and a lot of water before giving blood.

The morning is a less crowded time to come and donate blood. Before noon is the best time to donate.

“Over lunch and at the end of the day it gets really busy,” Jones said.

Blood donations are always in need in hospitals and clinics. Blood is needed on a daily basis.

“Hospitals are constantly using blood supply, it has a really short shelf life,” Jones said.