Roofing Company Provides Office Space for Year-Round Blood Drives

By Cass Jacoby, RCS Reporter.  

Antis Roofing and Waterproofing hosts blood drives and saves lives. 

The pandemic has put stress on nearly everything, and of the list of pressing shortages caused by the pandemic is blood supply. Across America, up to 19,000 blood drives have been cancelled due to COVID concerns. Despite the assurance from American Red Cross that giving blood is still a safe activity to do during the pandemic, ABC News reports a “concerning” drop in blood donor turnout.  

Every two seconds someone needs blood and the blood shortage is an urgent matter. Donated blood has a limited shelf life of four days for red blood cells, so the supply must be constantly replenished. Blood donation is an essential service to saving lives, especially given the pandemic.  

When this was brought to Charles Antis, the founder and CEO of Antis Roofing and Waterproofing, he knew he had to do something. The Irvine, California company sterilized their 6,000-square-foot office space on their campus and partnered with the American Red Cross to hold regular blood drives.  

Antis Roofing has now sponsored 35 different blood drive since April 2020. Over the past year an estimated 2,600 possible lives have been saved through the units of blood donated at these blood drives, with last April’s blood drive helping to save 141 lives.  

“Today is an awesome blood drive because we get to say thank you in a big way,” Charles Antis told KTLA at their May blood drive. “It’s the celebration of California Love Drop partnering with the American Red Cross over this last year.” 

“We are celebrating their support of the Red Cross this past year,” says American Red Cross Representative Becky Firey to KTLA. “Not every blood drive is as festive and fun as what Antis Roofing does, they make it such a celebration every day for the blood donors who come in here.” 

“These generous donors keep coming back, and now after the second and third donation they’re pulling down their mask as they leave in there saying ‘Thank you for letting us partake in this along with all these other donors and these staff and these volunteers and these nurses who are drawing our blood,’” says Charles “It's a great community right now that's saying we're better together.” 

Find a blood drive near you to donate and help with the severe blood supply shortage. 

Do you know of someone in the industry who is ‘doing good deeds’ in their community? Help us catch them at it. Send news and information to info@rooferscoffeeshop.com. 

Photo Credit: KTLA