Help break Katie out of the box!

The Blood Bank of Delmarva (BBD) invites donors and local media to its “Anchor Boxed in” event with DelmarvaLife and WBOC field correspondent Katie Zarrilli.

Starting at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, October 26, Katie will be “boxed in” at the Salisbury Donor Center until 100 donors come in and free her.

Anchor boxed in is a play off Anchor on the Roof, an out-of-the-box promotion that BBD Director, Donor Resources Nicole Pineault, Account Manager Bryan Shepherd and Communications Specialist Tony Prado learned about at the ADRP Annual Conference held in Phoenix, Arizona in May 2022. Anchor on the Roof put a local anchor on the roof at LifeShare in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and they collected hundreds of units in a fun way.

“Instead of the usual begging, we are trying something new to talk people into donating blood,” BBD Vice President Emily Cunningham said. “We are excited to have famous DelmarvaLife correspondent Katie Zarrilli come Thursday and park herself in the box truck until 100 donors come donate. Come help Katie get out of the truck sooner rather than later. We don’t want her to sleep in there!”

Katie believes in giving back to her community, so she looks forward to the challenge. Now it’s up to Delmarva residents to help Katie break out of the box! Click here to book an appointment or call 1-888-8-BLOOD-8.

 “I’m ready and excited to barricade myself in the box truck used for mobile blood drives in the community,” Katie said. “You’ve seen the BBD trucks around, and you may be asking yourself why I’m doing this. Here’s the deal. The Blood Bank of Delmarva is in dire need of donors, and I am boxed in this truck until 100 donors come through the doors. Once that happens, I’ll bust out!

Please come donate blood! “In the meantime, we’ll have a blast and give out candy as the Blood Bank saves lives right here on Delmarva,” she added. “Like my blood type, B positive, I am positive Delmarva residents will answer my call to donate blood. And I’ll donate as the 100th donor myself if it means I can break free out of the box!” 

Katie Zarrilli joined DelmarvaLife as field correspondent in 2019 after a seven-year stint reporting in Maine. She loves playing and coaching soccer, cheering on New England sports teams like the Patriots and the Bruins, and, most of all, she has fallen in love with the Delmarva Peninsula.