News Release November 01, 2006

Help Stop Hunger and Save Lives this November

Community invited to join National Marrow Donor Registry with non-perishable food donation

For more information contact:
Julie Scott 303.361.2873
Bonfils Blood Center

DENVER (November 01, 2006) - Join Bonfils Blood Center’s Colorado Marrow Donor Program this November in recognizing National Marrow Awareness Month by registering to become a potential life-saving blood stem cell or marrow donor for patients with blood-related diseases. Bring a canned good to any Bonfils Community Donor Center during the month of November and you can join the National Marrow Donor Registry free of charge. Collected canned goods will be donated throughout the month to Food Bank of the Rockies and Community Food Share to help less fortunate families during the upcoming holidays.

Healthy individuals between the ages of 18 and 60 may join the registry at any of Bonfils’ nine community donor centers. To register, potential donors will complete a health history and consent form and a small sample of cells will be collected for initial testing. Visit www.bonfils.org or call 303.363.2300 for community donor center hours and locations.

Food drives are essential to Food Bank of the Rockies’ mission of Fighting Hunger and Feeding Hope. To the 264,000 people in the areas served by Food Bank of the Rockies, hunger knows no season. Food Bank of the Rockies strives to create a place for everyone at the table. In addition, Community Food Share, which supports Boulder and Broomfield counties, serves millions of nutritious meals to people in need every year. Canned goods and dry goods such as tuna, soups, vegetables, fruit, pasta, rice, instant potatoes, peanut butter and condiments make ideal donations for food drives.

“We hope that adding a food drive component to our annual November marrow donor drive motivates more community members to help people in need whether it be in the form of fending off hunger locally or providing life-saving donations to patients all over the world,” said Patty Owens, program manager of the Colorado Marrow Donor Program.

Each year, thousands of people in the United States are diagnosed with diseases for which a blood stem cell – more commonly known as marrow – transplant could be a cure. Approximately 70 percent of patients are unable to find a donor match within their family. Ethnically diverse patients have the greatest difficulty finding a suitable unrelated donor therefore, recruiting new and ethnically diverse stem cell donors is key to the ongoing success of the program.

The Colorado Marrow Donor Program (CMDP) has already added more than 2,600 potential donors to the more than 65,000 Coloradans on the National Marrow Donor Registry so far this year, yet more donors are needed every day to give patients a better chance at life.

The CMDP also seeks volunteers interested in coordinating ethnic-focused marrow registration drives at their churches, schools, businesses or other community organizations. For more information about joining the registry or coordinating a drive, please call 303.363.2345.

About Bonfils Blood Center
For more than 60 years, Bonfils Blood Center has supported the community blood supply and has played an instrumental role in the lives of patients in need throughout Colorado and beyond. Bonfils Blood Center supplies blood to more than 200 healthcare facilities and needs to collect 4,350 blood donations weekly to meet the needs of the community and to be prepared for any unexpected events. For information about Bonfils and the Colorado Marrow Donor Program, please visit www.bonfils.org.

About Food Bank of the Rockies
Food Bank of the Rockies (FBR), a non-profit organization, distributed over 21.5 million pounds of food last year through over 900 partner agencies in northern Colorado and Wyoming. Food Bank of the Rockies’ key programs are Fighting Hunger Feeding Hope, Denver’s Table and Children’s Nutrition Network. They are a member of America’s Second Harvest—the Nation’s Food Bank Network. For more information on FBR, please visit www.foodbankrockies.org.

About Community Food Share
It is estimated that Boulder and Broomfield counties have over 30,000 residents living below the poverty level and hunger is a real part of their lives. In response, Community Food Share is dedicated to improving lives by turning small acts of generosity and kindness into a big difference in the lives of hungry families and children in our community. Working through close to 86 partner human service agencies, Community Food Share efficiently delivers more than 3.5 million, nutritionally balanced meals each year and serves as a “safety net” for those who are hungry in Boulder and Broomfield counties. As a part of the America’s Second Harvest food bank network, Community Food Share can provide four meals for each dollar donated. For more information on the dedicated work of Community Food Share visit www.communityfoodshare.org.