Pacific’s Trade Route Brewing Co. & Taphouse chipped in for a good cause last Friday, hosting the Cascade Regional Blood Services’ Bloodmobile Pint-for-Pint Give Blood Get Beer drive.
The recently opened micro-brewery ponied up vouchers for a free pint of sudsy brew in exchange for a little blood.
“The Cascade Regional Blood people came up and talked at the chamber of commerce, and we just thought it would be a good idea,” master brewer Joe Valvo said. “It’s about helping the community. We thought it’d be a good partnership.”
Participants, like Auburn’s Jason Ankeny, turned out not only to help out a good cause, but also to whet their whistle with the taphouse’s roster of specialty brews.
“A friend of mine was talking about this (Pint-for-Pint) so I decided to try it,” Ankeny said. “He talked about the Mango Weisen, here. I used to (donate blood) all the time, but I stopped for a while.”
There is only one catch to the blood-for-beer drive: Donors are given vouchers that are good beginning the following day after they give blood.
“The reason that we ask the vouchers be dated for the next day is that it would not be optimal for donors to drink alcohol four to six hours after giving blood,” said Cari Dixon, assistant director for Donor Resources. “To be safe, we ask that the vouchers be dated for the next day.”
According to Valvo, Trade Route redeemed about 20 vouchers the weekend following the bloodmobile’s visit.
Cascade Regional Blood Services began the Give Blood Get Beer campaign in September 2008 at The Swiss tavern in Tacoma. Since then, the bloodmobile has made more than 15 trips to South Sound taverns and taphouses to collect blood and give away vouchers.
The organizations tries to space their donation drives 56 days apart to give donors the opportunity to donate as maximum time allowed annually.
For more information on the Give Blood Get Beer program visit the Cascade Regional Blood Services Web site at wwww.cascadebloodcenters.org/our_community/beer.htm.
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Future stops
The Cascade Regional Service Bloodmobile will be in Auburn the following dates for regular donations:
• May 1, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Auburn Lakeland Hills Community, 1408 Lake Tapps Parkway E.
• May 24, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Auburn Green River Community College at 12401 S.E. 320th St.
• May 25, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Thomas Jefferson High School at 4248 S. 288th St.
Cascade advises that donors prepare by eating well and drinking plenty of non-caffeinated beverages prior to donation. Donors are also advised to abstain from caffeine, alcohol or tobacco, both prior and for at least 4 to 6 hours after donating.
Donation appointments are also available by calling 1-877-24-BLOOD.
Blood can also be donated at any of Cascade’s branches in Tacoma, Federal Way and Puyallup.
For more information visit v.
