The American Red Cross has an urgent need for blood and platelet donations to prevent a shortage this winter.

The following blood drives are open to the public:

Tuesday

10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Shaw’s supermarket, 147 Bath Road, Brunswick

Noon to 5 p.m., University of New England Westbrook Finley Center, 716 Stevens Ave., Portland

Thursday

1 to 7 p.m., Lyman Moore Middle School, 171 Auburn St., Portland

2 to 7 p.m., Mason Greenleaf 117 Cornish, 142 Maple St., Cornish

The Portland Blood Donation Center, 524 Forest Ave., Portland, is open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Fridays and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturdays.

The donation center at Central Maine Medical Center, 300 Main St., Lewiston, is open noon to 7 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Fridays.

To make an appointment to donate blood, please call 800-RED-CROSS or go to redcrossblood.org.