West Columbia, SC (Paul Kirby) – A ribbon cutting was held Thursday, January 23, 2020 for the Shepeard Community Blood Center. The official ceremony was held at the offices of the Greater Cayce-West Columbia Chamber of Commerce on 12thStreet. Shepeard is based out of Augusta, GA and offers an alternative to the American Red Cross when donating blood. They already have centers in Augusta and Evans, GA, and in Aiken, SC.
Shepeards is the local blood provider to 20 hospitals in Georgia and South Carolina. They have been in operation for 41 years and are looking to expand into the Columbia area. Right now, their plans are to begin weekly blood drives in our area using a custom blood mobile. They hope to have a fixed, brick and mortar site in this area sometime in the next several months.
Shepeard’s Community Blood Center is a community-oriented company that believes in being involved in the areas where they operate. They’ve joined the CWC Chamber and have another ribbon cutting scheduled at the Irmo Chamber on Tuesday, January 28th. At these ribbon cuttings, they fully staff the blood mobile for anyone who would like to donate. They also give first time donors a gift card to either Amazon or Starbucks. They even have a loyalty program where you can earn a cruise by donating regularly.
For more information on Shepeard, or to find out where they will be located so you can give, check out their website at www.shepeardblood.org. You can also locate them on social media. If you’re interested in hosting a blood drive, please contact Shepeard blood at (706) 737-4551.
