On November 16th, 2024, Lyfe hosted our third Bleed for Weed blood drive in collaboration with Rock River Valley Blood Center (RRVBC). After going above and beyond our goals with the first two Bleed for Weed drives hosted at Lyfe, and recognizing the current critical blood shortage, we knew it was time for us to put together another event to incentivize those of us in our community who are willing and able to get out there and donate. These events are also important educational opportunities for our community, especially considering that many people may have concerns that they cannot donate blood because they are a cannabis consumer. We feel it is our role to educate and reassure people that consuming cannabis does not prevent you from being able to donate blood. In our desire to reach as many areas of our community as possible, and with the help of RRVBC, we decided to host this event at RRVBC’s Belvidere location, which has seen a decrease in patronage ever since the COVID-19 pandemic. To no surprise at all our community once again came together and showed their support, contributing to another wildly successful event!

Here’s how the event works: 

Interested donors 21+ schedule appointments ahead of time for the day and time slot of the event. Upon a successful donation, Lyfe will award donors (only those 21+) with a voucher for a FREE eighth (3.5g) of flower OR  a FREE edible, which they can redeem at any point during the week following the event. Guests who, for any reason, are unable to complete their donation at the event will still receive a voucher for 20% off their next cannabis purchase at Lyfe as our way of showing appreciation for everyone who takes the time to get involved and contribute to the community. We offer these incentives as a way to give back to our community, because as a locally owned and operated business it is extremely important to us that we give back and support our community’s needs, including the dire need for blood donations! Donors who do not consume cannabis are still more than welcome to attend the event and donate with no pressure at all to redeem the offer. 

Bleed for Weed Belvidere: By the numbers:

With an initial goal of 80 donors, we were beyond pleased to have a total of 100 community members show up to support the event! A total of 78 units of blood were donated, resulting in an astounding 234 lives saved. The event also attracted an astounding 35 first-time donors! We cannot express enough our gratitude for everyone who attended the event, both donors and RRVBC staff. Keep an eye out for forthcoming Bleed for Weed events!

What’s next:

Rock River Blood Center is always in need of blood donations, and has a total of four locations in the Rockford area. If you are able to donate blood, please consider scheduling an appointment- donating is safe, takes only about an hour of your time, and directly helps people in need. Visit RRVBC’s website: https://www.rrvbc.org/

Make sure to follow Lyfe and RRVBC on social media to stay in the loop about future Bleed for Weed blood drives!