Donate blood, win Panthers playoff tickets?

Are you willing to bleed for your Carolina Panthers?

That will be all it takes for one lucky person to score a pair of tickets to the team’s NFC Divisional Round playoff game at Bank of America Stadium on Jan. 17.

It’s simple: Anyone who donates blood to the Community Blood Center of the Carolinas by the end of the day Thursday will automatically be entered to win two of the hottest tickets in town. And these aren’t just any seats. They’re 12th row on the 50-yard line, on the Panthers’ side of the field.

Similar seats start at $795 apiece on second-hand ticket sites like Stubhub.

This is the third year in a row the blood center has given away playoff tickets to a random donor. (The center also recently gave away tickets to Carolina’s game last Sunday against Tampa Bay.)

Last year’s promotion – held over a three-day period – generated twice the usual number of donations, blood center spokesperson Kelly Singleton said. This year, the center has expanded it to include everyone who donated between Dec. 23 and Thursday.

The timing is strategic.

“We are very low during the winter months ... especially with the weather and the holidays,” Singleton said. “The need is consistent, but the donations tend to drop from the community.”

The tickets were purchased for an undisclosed price, Singleton said, “as part of our marketing budget this year. ... It’s something so small that we can do that we really thought would help bring in donations.”

The drawing will be held on Friday.

And here’s a tip for donors hoping to get lucky: Wear your Panthers jersey when you go – “because they’re short-sleeve,” Singleton said, so it’s easy to access your arm up to the elbow.

This story was originally published January 8, 2016 at 4:46 PM with the headline "Donate blood, win Panthers playoff tickets?."