American Red Cross targets long crop art lines at Minnesota State Fair to boost blood donations

For folks hoping to see the famous crop art exhibit at the Minnesota State Fair, there's often a line that extends outside. That's where the American Red Cross, hoping to get help from fairgoers to counteract a dwindling blood supply, saw an opportunity in a captive audience. 

Ruby Tynes and her fellow Red Cross volunteers have canvassed those waiting to see the art, making a sales pitch: why not donate some blood while your family and friends hold your spot in line? 

"Anybody here that is willing to sacrifice some of their time to once again save lives is just somebody that we could use," Tynes said. "I think it's such a beautiful thing." 

The Red Cross is set up directly next to where the crop art line snakes out of the Agriculture Horticulture Building, making it an easy spot to find donors. 

The proximity helped convince Kelsey Kimball, who said that she made the decision to come back later to donate while she waited to see the art. 

Sitting with her family on Saturday, enjoying a snack provided by the Red Cross after making their donations, she was happy about her decision. 

"I had had a ton of time to think about it; we had been standing in the crop art line for, I don't know, probably an hour at that point. We'd seen people come and go," Kimball said. 

Kellie Zeil, a team lead with the Red Cross, said that the organization had a goal of getting around 60 donors per day at the fair. As of Saturday, Zeil said that they had surpassed that goal, estimating they had closer to 70 daily. 

"As far as I'm concerned, anybody that comes out here to the State Fair and donates blood is a superhero," Zeil said. 

Zeil said that while the local supply in Minnesota is at a strong level, she said that nationally the Red Cross' supply is about 25% behind where the organization wants to be; she is hoping fairgoers continue to help, with their booth remaining open for the final two days of the fair.