Despite all our medical advances, there is no good man-made substitute for human blood – this is why blood donations are so important. People donate blood for different reasons – some do it for friends, family members, or even themselves. Others donate to help people they don’t even know.
Blood is usually donated at special collection centers. Some centers use vans (often called bloodmobiles) that travel to different areas to collect blood. Some larger hospitals have their own centers to collect and process donated blood. After blood is tested for safety and processed into components, it’s stored in blood banks until needed