BJ’s Wholesale Club and Boston Children’s Hospital End Summer with Donation Milestone

WESTBOROUGH, Ma. September 21, 2016 - BJ’s Wholesale Club is at the half-way point to helping Boston Children’s Hospital’s (BCH) increase its registered donor base by 5,000 through the end of this year.  Since March, more than 2,500 Massachusetts residents have registered as a blood donor through Boston Children’s Hospital – Bloodmobile drives, including stops at BJ’s Wholesale Club locations.

“Registering as a blood donor is an easy way to make a difference in the lives of children and families,” said Bob Eddy, chief financial officer of BJ’s Wholesale Club. “We thank every new registered donor and look forward to reaching our goal by the end of 2016.”

Across the United States more than 41,000 blood donations are used every day – that’s 1.23 million donations per month.  Locally, patients at BCH are in need of 24,000 blood transfusions each year, but that is more than three times the number of blood donations the Boston Children’s Hospital – Bloodmobile receives over the same period.
To help, local BJ’s locations will continue to host the Boston Children’s Hospital – Bloodmobile throughout the year.

Next month, the BJ’s Wholesale Club in Plymouth, located at 105 Shops at 5 Way, will host the Boston Children’s Hospital – Bloodmobile on Friday, October 28 from 12:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

“Summer is the most critical time of year for blood donation,” said Maureen Beaton, manager, transfusion medicine service, Boston Children’s Hospital. “We’re grateful to BJ’s Wholesale Clubs for not only hosting drives each month with our Bloodmobile, but for their continued support of our program and commitment to getting the word out about the importance of being a registered blood donor.”

In April 2014, BJ's Charitable Foundation continued its ongoing support of BCH by donating $250,000 to support the Bloodmobile, which includes the following features:

• A high-tech blood center in a 40-foot custom coach with all of the equipment available at the hospital-based blood center.
• Outfitted with five-beds.
• Ability for technicians to collect different blood components, such as red cells and platelets, for many different patient needs.
• Donor screening, donating and post donation taking only 30 minutes.

To register or find a local blood drive, visit https://www.halfpints.childrenshospital.org.

About BJ’s Wholesale Club
Headquartered in Westborough, Massachusetts, BJ's is the leading operator of membership warehouse clubs in the Eastern United States. The company currently operates 214 clubs and 130 BJ's Gas® locations in 15 states. 

BJ's provides a one-stop shopping destination filled with top-quality, leading brands, including its exclusive Wellsley Farms and Berkley Jensen brands, along with USDA Choice meats, premium produce and delicious organics,  many in supermarket sizes. BJ's is also the only major membership warehouse club to accept all manufacturers' coupons and, for greater convenience, offers the most payment options.

Visit www.BJs.com, and for exclusive content find us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.

BJ's is wholly owned by affiliates of Leonard Green & Partners, CVC Capital Partners and its management team.

About Boston Children’s Hospital
Boston Children’s Hospital is home to the world’s largest research enterprise based at a pediatric medical center, where its discoveries have benefited both children and adults since 1869. More than 1,100 scientists, including seven members of the National Academy of Sciences, 11 members of the Institute of Medicine and 10 members of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute comprise Boston Children’s research community. Founded as a 20-bed hospital for children, Boston Children’s today is a 404-bed comprehensive center for pediatric and adolescent health care. Boston Children’s is also the pediatric teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. For more, visit our Vector and Thriving blogs and follow us on our social media channels: @BostonChildrens, @BCH_Innovation, Facebook and YouTube.