The need for blood donations has reached a critical level in the Marinette/Menominee area, according to the American Red Cross. It’s not uncommon for the organization to experience a decline in donations during the summer months. In fact, in 2017, the Red Cross saw one-third fewer new donors during the summer than the rest of the year. Contributing factors to the shortage include schools where blood drives are held being out of session and donors delaying plans to give because of summer vacation plans. However, residents have an opportunity to meet the local need at either of a pair of blood drives planned locally for next week. One will be held Monday, July 9th from 10:00 AM until 3:00 PM at the Pine Tree Mall in Marinette. The other takes place from 12:00 PM until 5:00 PM Monday at the Bethel Lutheran Church in Menominee. Appointments for each of these blood drives can be made by visiting redcrossblood.org or by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS.