Pechanga Arena San Diego hosted another successful blood and food drive on August 18, 2020. This was the arena’s third blood drive since the pandemic started and the second drive that incorporated food donations benefiting San Diego families.
News 8 and sports anchor Kyle Kraska created the “Celebration of Heroes” drive to collect food and blood donations – two critical community needs that have been drastically impacted by COVID-19.
To boost participation, News 8 partnered with The American Red Cross, the Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank and iHeartRadio to host the event.
For 12 hours, San Diegans dropped off non-perishable food donations at the Pechanga Arena parking lot. Drivers didn’t have to leave their cars to donate as volunteers collected the items.
The Red Cross said around 200 blood drives have been canceled so far during this pandemic.
Meanwhile, the number of food-insecure people in San Diego has doubled.
The food bank typically purchases about $1 million worth of food a year. However, in the first eight weeks of the pandemic, he said it purchased $3 million.
In total, the drive collected 1,000 pounds of food for San Diego families. More than 7,000 pounds between the two drives.
Although Tuesday’s blood drive reached its capacity, you can always schedule a donation online.
