What is new for Northwoods Drifter in 2026
When Rebecca Brusch moved up from Milwaukee to the Northwoods, she brought her habit of regular blood donations with her. What she didn’t find were convenient places to give.
So the Minocqua Furniture operations manager did what any resourceful Wisconsinite would do — she created her own solution.
On a Monday in early May, the furniture store’s back showroom transformed into a pop-up donation center, partnering with Versiti Blood Center to bring lifesaving convenience right to Highway 51.
The Northwoods faces a challenge most folks don’t think about while casting a line or cruising the ATV trails. Our sparse population — about 30 people per square mile across Oneida and Vilas counties — makes maintaining fixed donation centers tough.
The nearest permanent Versiti location sits over 60 miles south in Wausau. That’s a haul when you’re juggling work, family, and the seasons that define life up here.
Brusch experienced this gap firsthand.
“I used to donate really regularly when I lived in the Milwaukee area. When I moved to the Northwoods and looked for blood drives, it was just really hard to find one that fit my schedule.”
Her solution wasn’t just convenient for her — it addressed a genuine community need. Wisconsin’s blood supply dipped 20 percent below normal in early 2026, according to Versiti reports.
For Brusch, hosting blood drives runs deeper than logistics. Her aunt passed away from a blood-related illness, and her mother remains a dedicated donor who regularly commits to the three-plus hour platelet donations.
Those personal connections fuel her commitment to making donation accessible in a region where every unit counts.
All blood collected at the Minocqua drive stays in Wisconsin. Much of it serves patients right here in the Northwoods — at Aspirus clinics treating everything from tourism-related accidents on wooded roads to chronic health conditions common in our aging population.
Versiti also supplies Children’s Hospital in Milwaukee, meaning donations in Minocqua can help kids across the state.
Picture this: donor chairs set up between dining room sets and sofas, privacy screens creating temporary stations where lake-view windows usually showcase the Northwoods scenery.
The back showroom at Minocqua Furniture — a fixture on Highway 51 since 1963 — became an unlikely venue for community health.
Donors stopped by throughout the day, some scheduling through Versiti’s online portal, others walking in between errands. The midweek timing didn’t deter folks from showing up.
Community-hosted drives like this one fill critical gaps. Tourism surges in summer bring 500,000 visitors to the Northwoods, increasing accident-related blood needs at local hospitals. Meanwhile, harsh winters reduce donor turnout when roads get sketchy.
A single successful blood drive in Minocqua can yield 30 to 50 units of blood. Consider what that means:
For businesses, hosting drives builds goodwill while serving a genuine purpose. Minocqua Furniture draws foot traffic and demonstrates commitment to neighbors — the kind of community-first thinking that defines Northwoods business culture.
The May drive wasn’t a one-time thing. Brusch scheduled a follow-up for mid-August, timed so previous donors can give again after the standard waiting period.
That forward planning matters in a region where healthcare infrastructure stays lean by necessity.
Between now and then, other opportunities exist. Versiti runs mobile drives at hospitals and community centers across Oneida and Vilas counties. But having a consistent location where folks already shop — grabbing a new coffee table, checking out recliners — removes one more barrier to donation.
The Northwoods takes care of its own. Sometimes that means pulling a snowmobiler from a ditch. Sometimes it means sharing a meal at a supper club. And sometimes it means rolling up your sleeve in the back of a furniture store, knowing that simple act keeps neighbors alive.
Ya know, that’s just how we do things up here.
Written by
Mike has been coming up or living in the Northwoods since his childhood. He is also an avid outdoorsman, writer and supper club aficionado.
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