Iron-Rich Feast
About
The Iron-Rich Feast is a community dinner hosted before a blood drive. Since giving blood requires a healthy iron level, your club can host a feast and serve iron-rich foods. This dinner will bring the community together for a fun event to promote the blood drive and help donors increase their iron levels before they donate.
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Purpose
The Iron-Rich Feast will help educate donors about how to maintain healthy iron levels and help them prepare for a successful donation. The feast will also give you the opportunity to recruit new donors for the upcoming blood drive.
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How to Get Started
Step 1: Set Clear Goals and Objectives
Define your desired outcomes for the activity and create measurable goals and objectives to guide the planning process. Some examples of goals include number of attendees or number of new donor sign ups. We encourage you to integrate Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) considerations into your activity and be creative with your approaches. For example, encourage composting with food waste.Ìý
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Step 2: Plan the Details
Determine iron-rich food to serve. You can check out our for more information. Here are some foods that are rich in iron:
Ìý Ìý• Beef or turkey jerky
Ìý Ìý•ÌýBroccoli
Ìý Ìý•ÌýCanned tuna
Ìý Ìý•ÌýChickpeas
Ìý Ìý•ÌýDark chocolate
Ìý Ìý•ÌýRaisins
Ìý Ìý•ÌýSpinach
There are several ways to execute this event. Consider event structure
Ìý Ìý•ÌýDetermine if you want to charge a small fee for those who attend to help cover the expenses for the feast or to make a monetary donation to the Red Cross.
Ìý Ìý•ÌýYou could also host this as a community potluck where attendees bring a dish featuring an iron-rich food.
Ìý Ìý•ÌýYour club can also fundraise for the feast beforehand and use free food from the feast as a way to encourage blood donor sign-ups.
Ìý Ìý• Explore hosting a fundraiser with a local restaurantÌýwhere a certain percentage of proceeds can go towards your club or a Red Cross mission. Ask volunteers and donors to visit the restaurant during your fundraiser.
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Step 3: Coordinate the Logistics
Set a date and time
Ìý Ìý•ÌýWe suggest hosting the activity 30 to 60 minutes before a blood drive. Or, the day before either as a community lunch or dinner.ÌýIf your blood drive is several hours long, the feast can continue during the drive.Ìý
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Secure a venue
Ìý Ìý•ÌýSecure a location for the feast that is close to the location of the blood drive. Consider your school cafeteria, local banquet halls, and recreation centers.Ìý
Ìý Ìý•ÌýFor collegiate clubs consider using a common area in a dorm, a meeting room in your student center, or a classroom.
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Assign roles and responsibilities
Ìý Ìý•ÌýThis activity requires volunteers to set up and engage in conversations with the donors. Tips that volunteers can share with donors include:Ìý
Ìý ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý•ÌýDrink an extra 16 oz. of water (or other nonalcoholic drink) before your appointment.
Ìý ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý•ÌýEat a healthy meal, avoiding fatty foods like hamburgers, fries, or ice cream.
Ìý ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý•ÌýWear a shirt with sleeves that you can roll up above your elbows.
Ìý ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý•ÌýLet us know if you have a preferred arm or vein used successfully to draw blood.
Ìý ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý•ÌýRelax, listen to music, talk to other donors, or read while you donate.
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Gather supplies
Ìý Ìý•ÌýCreate a list of supplies needed and arrange to acquire them in advance.
Ìý ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý•ÌýTalk to local businesses and kindly ask if they would be willing to sponsor your activity by providing food, drinks, plates, cups, and utensils.
Ìý ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý•ÌýGather decorations, plates, napkins, and cups. Ask your school if they could provide these items to support the activity.
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Spread the Word
Ìý Ìý•ÌýAdvertise the activity through various channels such as social media, email, and school announcements. Consider including the following links:
Ìý Ìý Ìý Ìý•
Ìý ÌýÌýÌýÌýÌý•Ìý
Ìý Ìý•ÌýSend a reminder with important details prior to the activity.
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Step 4: Facilitate the Activity
Ìý Ìý•ÌýRun through Step 2 and Step 3 in advance and engage the participants throughout the activity.
Ìý Ìý•ÌýArrive early to set up for the activity.
Ìý Ìý•ÌýLabel ingredients in the food due to potential food allergies or dietary restrictions.
Ìý Ìý•ÌýRemind participants to clean up before they leave. We suggest providing trash, compost, and recycling containers to make it easier for participants to dispose of their waste.
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Step 5: Debrief and Thank Your Volunteer
Ìý Ìý•ÌýInvite participants to discuss their experiences and capture lessons learned.
Ìý Ìý•ÌýThank everyone who contributed and participated.
Ìý Ìý•ÌýRemind volunteers to record their hours through Volunteer Connection.Ìý