Thirty walk-in spots are still available for the emergency blood drive Sunday, Aug. 30, in Wilmette, where Saints Joseph and Francis Xavier Parish and the Wilmette Fire Department are teaming up to collect donations during what the American Red Cross calls only the second national blood supply crisis in its history.

The drive runs from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the St. Francis Xavier Campus school gym, 524 Ninth St. All pre-registered appointment slots are filled, but organizers confirmed the event can still accommodate up to 30 walk-in donors, according to Patch.

The timing is urgent. The Red Cross declared the crisis in late July after blood donations fell to a four-year summer low and the national supply of type O positive blood dropped below a single day's worth. Type O positive accounts for about 60% of Red Cross distributions and can be safely given to roughly 80% of patients, according to the Guardian. The agency is now limiting type O distributions to hospitals.

"Increased need, and a decrease of folks donating, are sort of a perfect storm," Kellie O'Connell, CEO of American Red Cross of Illinois, told WTTW on Aug. 3.

All blood supplies dropped 25% in June 2026, according to the Red Cross, driven in part by extreme heat, poor air quality and widespread foodborne illnesses that kept donors home.

The parish has a track record. In February, its 11th annual Super Bowl Sunday blood drive was recognized by the Red Cross as the largest single-day blood drive by a Catholic church. The drives honor Kevin Joseph Smith Burke, a parishioner who died in 2017 at age 23 from a rare heart condition. Burke grew up attending the parish and its elementary school; after his death, a family friend who had been organizing the drive approached his parents about renaming the event in his memory.

Donors on Sunday will receive a $20 Amazon gift card, a pint of Culver's frozen custard, a spin on the Ballyhoo Wheel of Fortune and an entry into a Wilmette Fire Department raffle. The raffle prize: a ride for two to school on a fire truck. A tailgate party with a free hot dog for every donor rounds out the incentives.

Organizers are also collecting personal care items and toiletries to restock the pantry at St. Thomas of Canterbury, the parish's sharing partner in Chicago.

To donate whole blood, the Red Cross requires donors to be at least 17 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds and not have donated within the past 56 days. The Red Cross has said just three additional donors at each drive this summer could end the crisis and stabilize the national supply.

Walk-ins are first-come, first-served at 524 Ninth St. starting at 8 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 30.