Newtown Lions Club is planning to host a third blood drive in town this year.

An American Red Cross Blood Drive is scheduled for Tuesday, July 2, from 8:30 am until 6:30 pm, at Newtown Congregational Church, 14 West Street.

The local Lions Club hosted similar events at the same location in January and May.

Donors must be at least age 17, weigh at least 110 pounds, and be in generally good health. High school students and other donors age 18 and under also have to meet certain height and weight requirements.

Appointments are available; call 800-RED-CROSS (800-733-2767) or visit redcrossblood.org.

Walk-ins will also be accommodated as time permits.

According to the Red Cross, just 3 out of 100 people in the United States give blood. The fact is that there simply aren’t enough people giving blood, and the American Red Cross is launching the Missing Types campaign to urge the public to fill the gaps by making an appointment to give blood or platelets this summer.

During the campaign, the letters A, B, and O — the letters that make up the main blood groups — are disappearing from major brand logos, social media pages, signs and websites to draw attention to the critical importance of blood donations. Just last month, the Red Cross experienced a critical shortage of type O blood, and summer blood shortages are not uncommon.