Picking up fresh flowers at the St. Paul Farmer’s Market for Mother’s Day is a tradition but while you’re at it, why not save a life?

Memorial Blood Centers hosted a Mother’s Day blood drive Saturday from 8 p.m. to 1 p.m. The organization says It only takes one hour to donate and a single donation can save multiple lives. One farmer’s market vendor said he did it for the first time.

“First time thing, I just thought it’d be a great opportunity to give back to the community for sure,” said Mark Porisch of Minneapolis. 

Memorial Blood Centers says one in seven hospital admissions require a blood transfusion. Blood donors can give every 56 days, and platelet donors can give twice a month. Those in need include cancer patients, newborn babies and their mothers, and trauma victims.

Staff at the blood drive on Saturday say a blood shortage is a big problem, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It created a shortage big time. Businesses, schools, churches, they did not want us coming in, you know, because nobody could go face to face and all that stuff. So yeah, that was terrible,” said Neal Rose, who drives the Memorial Blood Centers bloodmobile. 

Rose adds that while the number of donors is going up, it still doesn’t compare to pre-pandemic levels. 

In an effort to expand the donor pool, recently, the FDA lifted several donor eligibility restrictions.