NEW YORK, July 15, 2011 (India Post): Hindu Americans across North America will mark the 10th anniversary of 9/11 by donating blood. This will be first time ever that such an ambitious project will be held at the many Hindu temples in North America.
This effort is being coordinated by the HMEC (Hindu Mandirs Executive Conference), an apex body of approximately 600 temples in North America. They have set a goal of participation by at least 100 temples and collecting 5,000 units of blood on a single day. Agencies such as the American Red Cross will collect the blood.
According to the US National Institutes of Health, nearly 14 million units of whole blood and red cells are required every year. Some patients of Asian descent require a closer blood match than that provided by the ABO positive/negative blood typing. For this reason, it is extremely important to increase the number of available blood donors from the Asian communities.