Blood donors will enjoy the free "Fish Fry With Fixins," and will receive a free game of bowling from Ponca Bowl, two tickets to the Oklahoma City Zoo, a voucher good for two tickets to an Oklahoma City RedHawks game, and an OBI "Feel Wild" T-shirt. Plus, every donor will be entered to win a wide variety of more than sixty fun door prizes courtesy of twenty bighearted local businesses.

This annual event is a generous gift of labor and love to OBI Ponca City donors from one person known locally as the "fish fry man." For the fourth year, Mark Sanders, a dedicated volunteer platelet donor who has to date made a total of 110 blood donations with Oklahoma Blood Institute, is preparing his feast for donors as his way to say "saving lives is such an easy thing to do."

Annually, Mark catches, cleans, cooks and serves more than 700 pieces of fish, with fixin's, to create donor interest in giving blood. Co-sponsors this year are: Head Country, providing potato salad and baked beans; and Long John Silvers, providing hush puppies and cole slaw.

Mark Sanders became a blood donor when he was in the military. He and his two children now, continue to be loyal donors. They highly value the extra time they were able to spend with Mark's dad, thanks to numerous blood donors, as he fought his battle with cancer.

"Holiday weekends put incredible stress on the blood supply for patients in our state," said John Armitage, M.D., Oklahoma Blood Institute president and chief executive officer. "We are grateful for all donors who can come to the OBI Ponca City Center Fish Fry to help Oklahomans who will need blood through the July Fourth weekend when our donations tend to decline."

Oklahoma Blood Institute supplies every drop of blood to more than 150 medical facilities in Oklahoma. Donations can be made every 56 days. A photo ID is required to donate. Oklahoma Blood Institute is the twelfth largest, non-profit blood center in America, employs nearly 700 Oklahomans and works with an estimated 800 volunteers and 2,600 drive coordinators.

To schedule an appointment to donate blood at the "OBI Ponca City Center Fish Fry Event" on July 2, call 1-877-340-8777, or make an appointment online at www.obi.org.

Door prices galore from local business sponsors include:

Brace Books – Two $5 Gift Cards

Calie Jo's – Gift Certificate for Free Spray Tan

Celebrating Home-Layne VanHoesen РThree lovely home d̩cor accessories

Daily Grind – Two lunch-for-two Gift Certificates

Food Pyramid/Buy 4 Less – Twenty $5 Gift Cards

Garrett Wrangler – $20 Gift Certificate

Heartland Western – Ariat throw

J.W. Cobb's – Gift Certificate for two cheeseburgers with frys

Jake's Fireworks – Six MOABs

Lowe's – Portable charcoal grill with accessories

Napoli's Italian Restaurant – Specialty bread loaf

Pemberton Chevrolet – Two oil change Gift Certificates

Red Barn – Graphite rod & reel

Scentsy-Linda Dyer – Liberty Candle Warmer

Take Ten – Oil change gift certificate

Tan & Tone – Two Gift Certificates for free week of robotics

The Bag Lady – Sunglasses

The Boat House – Life jacket

Trader Dave's – Jar of gourmet pickles

Whiskey Creek Designs-Kayce Brandon – Two handcrafted necklaces