ELLSWORTH – An informational meeting for people who want to initiate a bone marrow donor drive in their community will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, March 23, at the Hancock County Cooperative Extension office on Boggy Brook Road. The meeting is being sponsored by Mount Desert Island Gift-of-Life which annually recruits and screens bone marrow donors on the island.

Local bone marrow campaigns add the names of people and blood tissue type to the National Bone Marrow Registry. The registry is an international database which helps find donors for thousands of people needing a transplant. Bone marrow transplants are used to treat a variety of illnesses such as certain types of leukemia, lymphoma and breast cancer.

Medically experienced volunteers are not necessary for local campaigns. The registry sends laboratory technicians on the day of the screening.