Every two seconds, someone in the United States needs blood for surgeries, cancer treatments, chronic illnesses, or traumatic injuries. In addition, 4.5 million Americans will need a blood transfusion this year. Only 37 percent of the U.S. population is eligible to donate blood, and less than 10 percent do annually.

To help combat these staggering statistics, Reynolds hosts quarterly blood drives in our Dayton, College Station, and Houston locations. The Dayton office hosts drives in collaboration with the Community Blood Center, while the College Station and Houston offices partner with the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center.

For a particular Reynolds associate, Tony Mantia, donating blood is personal. Mantia, a Fixed Operations Specialist, has given blood since he started with Reynolds in 2015. He prioritizes donating blood because of his experience receiving blood after an intense accident.

When Mantia was six years old, he was in a lawn mower accident and lost part of his arm. He was taken to the hospital where he underwent multiple surgeries and a blood transfusion. The doctors wanted to amputate his arm so they could cauterize it to stop the bleeding, but Mantia’s parents wanted to wait before making such a life-changing decision. So, the doctors kept giving him blood – donated by absolute strangers. As a result, they were able to save most of his arm — something Mantia is very thankful for.

As he matured, Mantia began to see the impact of what he had been given when he was younger.

“At some point, someone decided to give blood for someone else, and that’s what saved my arm,” he said.

Mantia donates blood as often as he can and encourages others to do the same.

“I truly appreciate Reynolds for consistently welcoming the blood drive trucks, with regular donation drives taking place on-site every quarter, making the act of giving blood simple and accessible.

“Your blood is precious, and the fact is, donating it even once holds significant meaning for someone else. So why not help save lives?”

For more information about the specific blood banks Reynolds partners with, visit: Dayton, Houston, and College Station.