The U.S. blood supply has reached crisis levels, prompting the American Red Cross and the Surgeon General's Office to urge people to donate.

Why it matters: A prolonged blood shortage could delay surgeries, trauma care and other treatments that depend on timely blood transfusions.

Driving the news: Blood donations fell to a four-year summer low in 2026, the Red Cross said last week.

• Current supply is not keeping up with the demand for blood, which increases during the summer.
• The Red Cross attributes the low turnout of donations to extreme heat, bad air quality and "widespread foodborne illnesses" hitting the country.

Threat level: The situation is particularly dire for type O, the most commonly transfused blood type.

• The organization says it has "less than a one-day national supply of type O positive blood and is limiting distribution of it blood to hospitals.

Context: This is only the second national blood supply crisis, per the Red Cross.

• The last time occurred in January 2022 when COVID, winter storms and staffing challenges disrupted the nation's blood supply.
• In 2024, the Red Cross said it faced an "emergency blood shortage," though stopped short of declaring it a "crisis."

How to donate: In San Francisco, there's a blood drive in nearly every part of the city offering daily appointments.

📍Find a donation center or make an appointment directly with:

• Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies
• Vitalant
• America's Blood Centers
• American Red Cross

Fun fact: The American Red Cross is offering a $20 Amazon gift card for donating this month.

Of note: People with certain medical conditions, active illnesses, recent travel history to countries exposed to certain diseases, past non-prescription injection drug use or who are pregnant, may not be eligible to donate.

The bottom line: There's a blood need, so if you have some to give and are comfortable donating, do it. You might just be the reason someone's life is saved.

Tell a donor

Local farmers market shoppers can't seem to get enough of two things: kimchi and almond croissants.

State of play: New data from Square shows kimchi sales at farmers markets have climbed 84% over the past five years, while vegan products are up 189%.

• Dried goods — including freeze-dried snacks and dried mafaldine pasta — are also booming, with sales surging more than 3,300% year-over-year.

🥐 One stunning stat: Vendors sold more than 88,000 almond croissants in the past year — about 10 times the volume sold at NYC farmers markets.

📍Worth a stroll: National Farmers Market Week runs through Saturday. Consider supporting the Ferry Plaza, Noe Valley, Castro, Outer Sunset, Alemany, Civic Center, Divisadero or Inner Richmond markets this week.

⚾ The Giants dealt starter Robbie Ray and hit machine Luis Arraez for a bushel of prospects ahead of yesterday's trade deadline.

• Their contracts were up at the end of this season, meaning the trades help salvage a rough 2026 for San Francisco. (MLB)

🎶 The San Francisco-based band Train named their new upcoming album "Mad Dog in the Fog" after the Haight Street dive bar where they played one of their earliest shows. (SF Chronicle)

🛹 The legendary China Banks skate spot at Portsmouth Square is being demolished as part of a major park redevelopment. (CBS News)

📚 Chinatown's historic Him Mark Lai Library will close for two and a half years later this fall due to a $47.8 million renovation. (SFGATE)

Have you made it out to Stern Grove yet this summer? You still have a chance to see three more live sets before the annual concert series comes to a close.

• I finally went this past weekend for the Violent Femmes, thanks to a friend who had an extra ticket (someone always does).
• There's nothing quite like catching a show under the redwoods. The only catch? Earning it with that uphill walk back to the exit.

If you go: Patti LaBelle performs this Sunday, followed by Public Enemy (Aug. 15) and Al Green for the final show (Aug. 16).