Hilltop Country Day School to hold blood drive

Sparta - New Jersey Blood Services, a division of the New York Blood Center, will be conducting a Blood Drive at Hilltop Country Day School from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 4 at the school located at 32 Lafayette Road in Sparta. The Hilltop Student Council, under the leadership of advisors Michael Umstead and Robin Kaminsky, is sponsoring the event. Residents may call Cathie Kelly, Hilltop School nurse, at 973-79-5485 with questions regarding the drive or to register to donate blood. Pre-registration is not necessary. According to New Jersey Blood Services, despite its large, well-educated population, New Jersey has never been self sufficient in meeting its need for blood. The organization conducts some 250 blood drives a month and requires an estimated 120,000 blood donors annually in order to supply 60 New Jersey hospitals. While blood donations have declined over the years the demand for blood has increased. To supplement local blood donations, New Jersey imports approximately 70,000 units of its blood supply annually from other states.