For many people, January is a time for improvement. Diets are followed. Workouts are completed. Giving back is a priority. We’ve made doing good easy with our Matcha Matches program. All you have to do is purchase Art of Tea matcha and we’ll donate money to Gift of Life Marrow Registry. Gift of Life’s mission is to aid those fighting blood cancers by building a registry of potential marrow or stem cell donors. Sounds like a massive undertaking, but you can take a few simple steps to help the organization even more. First, if you haven’t already signed up to be a marrow donor, you can do so by filling out a form and swiping your cheek with a swab provided by the organization. Want to give even more? Host a donor drive. You’ll bring together friends, family, or coworkers to rally behind a cause that saves lives.

Step 1: Prepare for the Drive

Before you schedule anything, definitely check out Gift of Life’s website. Not only will you learn more about their mission, but you’ll also be able to sign up to swab yourself and contact the organization to set up a drive of your own. Think about where you want to hold your drive, who you’d like to invite, and what your goals are. Need ideas? College students can swab on campus, employees can swab at work, and just about anybody can gather friends and family for a party-turned-donor-drive at home!

Step 2: Get the Word Out

Next, you’ll want to get the word out so you have as many people participate as possible. Think about sharing your drive on social media, through flyers, and through press releases. Gift of Life makes it easy.  Just visit their Drive Resources area to pick up press releases, logos, videos, and more!

Step 3: Start Swabbing! 

You’ve made it to the big day and it’s time to give back in a huge way! Once upon a time, you had to give a blood sample in order to join Gift of Life’s registry. Now, all you have to do is swab the inside of your cheek with a cotton swab. You used to also have to fill out lengthy, time-consuming paperwork. Not anymore! Gift of Life recommends a process called “Speed Swabbing.” With shortened forms and a quick swab of the cheek, you can speedily add more and more people to their donor registry. If you’re a student, you can grab fellow students on the way to class. If you’re in an office, you can organize a quick session of swabbing after an all-hands meeting or before a company lunch. 

Throughout all of this, you can fully commit to the cause by drinking Art of Tea matcha. Our contributions from matcha sales help fund drives like yours and other projects for Gift of Life. You’ll enjoy delicious matcha while feeling great about giving back! Who knows… Maybe one day a donor from your drive will save a life!

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