One of the simplest and best ways we can give back to our communities is through blood donation.

At the Southern Midcoast Maine Chamber we believe in giving back to the communities we live in, and to be sure our health care providers are equipped with the life-saving blood that they need.

For several years, SMMC and Bar Harbor Bank & Trust has teamed up with the Bill Dodge dealerships for a very friendly competition of which of their three dealerships can receive the most donations through an American Red Cross blood drive. I’m proud to say our competitive spirit is a good thing when it comes to giving, and under the fierce recruitment of our drive coordinator Michelle Curtis, we have received more donations than the Westbrook and Saco branches for the past two years.

As you may or may not know, car sales and the service industry are full of competitive people, so it will take all we can muster to win three years in a row, and that’s where you come in. We are actively recruiting donors for our Bill Dodge Hyundai blood drive at their new location at 118 Pleasant St. in Brunswick on July 10.

Here are some pretty cool facts about blood donations, taken directly from the Red Cross website (redcrossblood.org) and what kind of a real-world impact your donation can provide.

• Every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood

• Approximately 36,000 units of blood cells are needed every day in the U.S.

• Many cancer patients during their chemotherapy treatment need blood, and some need it daily

• 38 percent of the U.S. population is eligible to give blood, but less than 10 percent of those eligible actually give every year

• Blood cannot be manufactured, thus every pint used in any hospital comes from a generous donor

• The Red Cross supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood supply with 80 percent of their donations coming from mobile drives like this one (the other 20 percent comes from their Red Cross centers around the U.S.)

• The two most common reasons people don’t give blood are: “Never thought about it” and “I don’t like needles.”

• The number one reason donors say they give blood is because they “want to help others.”

Now, in full disclosure, I need to tell you that I’m a regular donor. It began for me pretty recently in my life when I discovered that I have an O Positive blood type, which makes me a universal donor. For O Positive and O Negative blood types, our blood is pretty valuable because if someone comes into the emergency room after an accident and they are in need of blood, and the nurses and doctors don’t know the patient’s blood type, they use Type O as all blood types can use it. This is a popular blood type with newborns too. So my past donations could’ve helped a car accident victim or a baby — that’s pretty cool.

There is a shortage of blood right now as more blood is being used than is coming in, and to replenish this we need more donors, and more regular donors. Twenty-six percent of donors are new donors, and 24 percent are occasional donors. The remaining 50 percent are loyal donors who give multiple times per year.

But I get it, it’s a little scary — a little intimidating. I didn’t like it at first. I’ve never been a fan of needles, and I have small veins for a man my size, and the uncertainty was scary for me. Let me tell you five things that really helped me get over my fear or apprehension about giving.

• The people that are there will help answer any questions you have and they’ll tell you exactly what they are doing every step of the way and why.

• The process is really rehearsed — meaning they’ve done so many mobile blood drives at this point, that it runs smoothly and it’s safe.

• It doesn’t really take that long. You’re doing pre-exam checks (like blood pressure and answering some health history questions, etc.) for longer than you are actually giving the blood. I’m usually out in an hour or less.

• There are free Oreos (and other cookies if you have lesser tastes). There is a little recovery table where you get a little snack and time to just relax and recover, and they let you take as much time as you need, never rushing you.

• Everyone is so appreciative of the donors and it really doesn’t cost you a thing.

It was that last part that really sold me. Yes, it was a little scary getting a needle put in me, but these are pros that do it all the time — they have always taken good care of me. And for what I put into it, maybe an hour out of my day (and a relaxing hour at that), to get free cookies and juice, to receive a heartfelt thank you and to know that I might be helping a cancer patient, or a new born, or someone that just had an accident, or God forbid, for me that was worth it.

One final note, I said earlier that my loyal donating was a pretty recent occurrence. It began last year for me at the Bill Dodge Hyundai blood drive and I have given four times since. I hope you’ll join us on July 10.

To sign up for a donation slot, log onto www.redcross.org and on the home page type in the Brunswick zip code in the box that asks “Find a Drive” and look under July 10. If using the phone is easier for you, reserve through 1-800-RED CROSS.