Give a pint, get a free Firehouse subs sandwich in January

Firehouse Subs restaurants across Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana are partnering with Vitalant (formerly LifeSource) by offering a free sandwich voucher to persons who donate blood at any of 17 community donor centers between Jan. 25-31.

While walk-ins are welcome, appointments are encouraged and can be made by visiting vitalant.org or calling (877) 258-4825.

"At Firehouse Subs, we're passionate about serving our communities through hearty, flavorful food and helping save lives by giving back ," said Firehouse Subs Area Representative and Franchisee Sam Stanovich. "Firehouse Subs was founded by firefighters who have engrained community service into everything we do through our restaurants.. This aligns perfectly with the mission of Vitalant and its efforts to ensure an adequate supply of blood at local hospitals, and we are proud to be their partner by bringing awareness to the need for blood donation throughout Chicagoland."

In preparation for their donation, donors are asked to eat well, stay hydrated and arrive with proper identification. The appointment takes about an hour (with the donation itself only around ten minutes) and is both safe and comfortable. Donors must be at least 17 years old (16 years of age with parental consent).

There is no substitute for human blood and every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs it. That's why it's so important to continuously replenish the supply. Blood has a shelf life of 42 days for red blood cells and just five days for platelets. Although an estimated 38 percent of the U.S. population is eligible to donate, less than 10 percent do.