Sioux Falls, SD – Hy-Vee stores across Sioux Falls ended a remarkable year of community giving in 2025 by hosting multiple community blood drives that brought together 386 participants and resulted in 327 donations. Because a single donation can be separated into red blood cells, plasma, and platelets, each one has the potential to help up to three patients, meaning Hy-Vee’s Sioux Falls donors helped save or support up to 981 lives this year alone.
“Every person who walks through our doors to give blood is making a direct, tangible difference for someone in our community,” said Melina Hansel, Hy-Vee Marketing Director. “These numbers represent real patients, cancer patients, accident victims, surgical patients, and people with blood disorders, who depend on the generosity of donors.”
In additions to hosting community blood drives, the impact didn’t stop there. Throughout the summer, Hy-Vee partnered with Community Blood Bank on the “Fueling Up the Blood Supply” campaign, a targeted effort to strengthen the region’s blood reserves during a season when donations traditionally slow down. During the campaign donors giving blood on any Monday through the summer months received a $15 Hy-Vee fuel certificate. The campaign encouraged 960 donations, helping ensure a stable summer supply for hospitals and patients across the region, which helps up to 2,880 patients critically ill patients in and around Sioux Falls area.
“Summer is historically one of the hardest times of year to keep the blood supply steady, as schedules change and regular donors travel,” said Ken Versteeg, Executive Director, Community Blood Bank. “Partnerships like the one we have with Hy-Vee are essential to closing that gap and making sure patients never go without.”
Versteeg states, “Combining, Hy-Vee’s year-round blood drives and the summer “Fueling Up the Blood Supply” campaign reflects the power of community partnership. This is an outstanding gift for our local patients, providing 1,194 total donations, and the potential to touch as many as 3,714 patient lives across the Sioux Falls area in 2025.
To learn more about upcoming blood drives, eligibility requirements, or to schedule an appointment, visit cbblifeblood.org or call our main office at 605-331-3222. Community Blood Bank is a joint cooperative of Sanford USD Medical Center and Avera McKennan Hospital & University Health Center. The organization is the sole blood provider to 43 local area hospitals including all Sioux Falls hospitals.
