Located in the Great Hall at the Memorial Union, the Iowa State Blood Drive is currently underway, where students can donate blood to three blood donation organizations.

One day remains to donate blood before the drive ends Mar. 8. So far, turnout has been low compared to estimated numbers.

Before the event, Iowa State Blood Drive Co-Director Olivia Schaaf said an estimated 3,600 students were expected to donate blood. Turnout numbers were around 217 as of 3 p.m. Tuesday.

Numbers are expected to rise and wait times may be a possibility, despite not being an issue thus far. The average total time to donate blood has been around 45 minutes to an hour.

Co-Director Rachel Kenkel said Wednesday and Thursday are the busiest days for the drive.

However, the Great Hall of the Memorial Union is set up in an efficient and organized system. The Waterloo and Omaha Red Cross, Life Serve and the Mississippi Valley Regional Blood Center are each set up in a corner of the Great Hall with color coded signs.

When donors arrive, they are given a red, green or yellow color that coincides with clearly marked signs indicating which blood donation organization they are to donate blood to.

To incentivize some students to donate, extra credit is offered by 10 different classes in various departments.

In addition, the “canteen” or table area near the exit, is stocked with treats from Insomnia Cookies and Cookies Etc. Donors are encouraged to grab a snack or juice after donating blood.

On their way out the door, donors have a ticket they can drop in a raffle box from a variety of local supporting businesses including: Jeff’s Pizza, Kum & Go, Buffalo Wild Wings, Panera, Cafe Diem, Fuzzy’s Tacos and Skunk River Cycles.