Community is powerful, and when channeled for a worthy cause, our community comes together to make a difference. Since 2019, it has been our pleasure to channel our collective impact for good through Giant Giving, an initiative that allows us to support and give back to causes that are near and dear to our hearts: childhood cancer and donating blood.

Giant Giving: The Beginning

Back in 2019, sweet Lucie Mertz, daughter of Giant Voices partner Jena Mertz, was diagnosed with high-risk neuroblastoma.

Over the course of her rigorous and aggressive multi-year treatment, Lucie required 180+ lifesaving blood transfusions, over 150 of which were platelets, which Memorial Blood Centers can now collect at its Duluth Donor Center.

Today, Lucie is a spunky school-aged cancer-surviving warrior who keeps her family on her toes and the rest of us smiling.

Throughout their journey, the Mertz family encouraged their community to support Lucie and other childhood cancer patients by donating blood. Millions of kids and adults depend on life-saving blood donations. This small act of selfless kindness is a lifeline for so many. 

Giving Blood: A Perpetual Need

Every two seconds, a patient somewhere in the world needs blood, and the only way to supply that blood is through donations. We haven’t cracked the code on artificial blood creation, so it’s up to all of us to take care of our fellow human beings. 

Blood donation facts & stats

• 62% of Americans are eligible to donate blood, but only 3% donate regularly
• Blood consists of three important components, all play different roles:
  • Platelets: Control bleeding
  • Red cells: Carry oxygen throughout the body
  • Plasma: Promotes clotting
• There are actually 8 blood types: A+, A-, B+, B-, AB+, AB-, O+, O-
• After donating 1 pint, your body replenishes your blood naturally
  • Plasma: 24 hours
  • Platelets: 48 hours
  • Red cells: 4-6 weeks
• Blood donors can give whole blood (red cells) every 56 days
• Platelet donors can come every 7 days, up to 24 times a year

Giving blood is a simple and effective way to support your community. From door to door, a whole blood (red cells) donation generally takes about 45 minutes. You’ll check in, complete a vitals check and spend about 15 minutes in the chair donating and another 10-15 minutes enjoying snacks and drinks while you relax and give your body time to adjust. 

Giant Giving: By the Numbers

Giant Giving is our way of showing gratitude and bringing joy to patients, families, caregivers and friends who are spending time in the hospital or clinic. If we can rally together to ease even a little of the stresses around battling cancer or repetitive visits to the clinic, we’ve done our job. 

This year, we’re extremely proud to share that we knocked our goals out of the park, inspiring new donors to give blood with Memorial Blood Centers for the first time and collecting enough gifts, gift cards and financial donations to put smiles on hundreds of faces. 

• Mobile Blood Drives:
  • Drives hosted: 3 (Join us for drive #4 on October 2, 2024!)
  • Donations collected to date: 82
  • Patients impacted to date: 246
• Holiday Giving
  • Amazon Gift List: 100% fulfilled for 3 years running
  • 100s of gifts given
  • 100s of gift cards given
  • 3 Families sponsored

None of this would be possible without the generosity of our community of Giants—including our families, friends, neighbors and the local community—and our supporting clients and partners.

“The support and generosity we’ve received for Giant Giving is beyond appreciated. This initiative is powerful, and we’re so proud to support our community in these important ways. Please consider joining us!” – Jena Mertz, Giant Voices Partner and Director of Operations. 

The Future of Giant Giving

Join us for our upcoming Fall Giant Giving Blood Drive on October 2, 2024. When you donate whole blood, you’re able to give again in just 56 days. If you give during our fall drive, you’ll be eligible again right after Thanksgiving.

Please consider donating again, as the holidays are often an especially critical time for blood donations. And don’t stop there. You may be eligible to give up to 6 times each year—that’s potentially 18 lives impacted by your generosity. 

We’re incredibly proud to partner with Memorial Blood Centers, a non-profit organization that is the sole supplier of blood products to 19 hospitals in northern Minnesota and northwest Wisconsin. When you donate, you’re supporting patients and healthcare providers around the entire region with a lifesaving gift. Thank you!