The Community Blood Center is always out for blood — donations, that is. That’s because the Lawrence center must collect at least 580 pints of blood every day to meet the area’s needs. Last year, 28,000 people required a blood transfusion.

To help meet such needs, the center is having a blood drive from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Friday in the Jayhawk Auditorium at Lawrence Memorial Hospital, 325 Maine. All donors will receive a T-shirt and pizza. First-time donors will receive a $10 gift card for Lawrence Memorial Hospital’s gift shop.