It takes a just few minutes of your time to donate blood and a few crucial minutes leading up to every blood drive are what set it up for success.
Carter Bloodcare's largest mobile staging area is in Bedford. At that location, workers prepare for up to 26 blood drives a day.
To put that in perspective, the Carter Bloodcare in Waco can host up to four drives each day.
"We handle the Metroplex and we go as far down as Alvarado," said Carla Buckendorf, the manager of mobile staging in Bedford. "Sometimes we'll send out every van we have."
Buckendorf said there's always someone on the move inside the warehouse since blood drives happen seven days a week.
"They come in between three and four in the morning and they leave between 11 and 12 at night," Buckendorf said.
During that time, they build dollies that will be loaded on to each bus or van.
One dolly is stocked with enough supplies for 50 donors.
"From the blood bags to the cookies, to the extra juice, to the paperwork," Buckendorf said. "Everything they need."
It takes just a few minutes to load up the supplies, but if a single case is missing, that could ruin an entire drive.
"You can send the best phlebotomist in an empty van, they're not going to come back with any blood," Buckendorf said.
Workers use a checklist to make sure they have everything they need. They also open each case to make sure the necessary contents are inside.
If all goes well here, Carter Bloodcare is one step closer to getting blood to those who need it most.
"These guys have everything down, everything organized," Buckendorf said. "This is where it all starts and I'm proud of them because, without them, the mobile staff wouldn't have the supplies they need."
Central Texas News Now will host a blood drive on Jan. 31 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Donors will receive a Dallas Mavericks shirt and a BOGO ticket voucher.
For more information on Carter Bloodcare, click here.
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