‘An easy thing to do to help others’: Hundreds of donors give blood at Arrowhead Stadium

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – Hundreds of people in Kansas City are helping save lives at the home of the defending Super Bowl champions.

The 26th annual Chiefs Week starts with the yearly blood drive hosted at Arrowhead.

Chiefs Week runs from Nov.19 to Dec. 2, encouraging everyone in the Kansas City metro to donate blood. All donors during this time period are given a Chiefs shirt and entered in a ticket raffle.

“[During] the holidays, we always see a dip in donations, but the need for blood doesn’t stop,” Chelsey Smith with Community Blood Center said. “The Chiefs are incredible partners at a time when blood collection is really difficult.”

The 12-hour blood drive at Arrowhead will host roughly 300 donors, which is enough blood to save nearly 1,000 lives.

“Sacrificing a bit of my time to save someone else’s life,” Bobby Dietzel said. Dietzel served in the United States military during the 1990s. Until recently, he was ineligible to donate blood because of FDA guidelines.

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“It’s an easy thing to do to help others,” Dietzel said. “It’s more than what you’re doing sitting at home.”

Other donors, like Kathy Benuch, give blood multiple times a year. She said no matter how often you donate, it makes a difference.

“Knowing that I am able to help somebody really feels good,” Benuch said.

The blood drive at Arrowhead will run from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Nov. 16. Walk-ins are welcome.

According to the Community Blood Center, one blood donation can save up to three lives.

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