Every beep of a machine, every crinkle of a snack bag, in this Manhattan space, is the sound of someone who rolled up a sleeve to help save a life.

"This seems the one area that is completely apart from money or politics or anything else. This is the area where the need is clear and the answer is clear. Everybody needs blood," said Ellen Fair, New Yorker of the week.

Fair has kept the steady stream of donors flowing at New York Blood Center sites. The Upper West Side resident, is one of 100 active local volunteers with the national organization.

"I was a platelet donor right here at Center East and I was so impressed with the operation, I always had in mind that when I had more time on my hands, this was a place I wanted to be able volunteer," she said.

That moment came in January of last year, after Fair retired from the magazine business. She now volunteers twice a week at blood drives and collection sites across Manhattan.

She gets snack bags for donors and guides them through computer check-ins, constantly praising the people who come in to give blood.

"The whole operation is an unadulterated good thing. People giving something that saves people's lives," said Fair.

"There are donors who have probably come back because she had made them feel so welcome and so important," said Natalie Barnofsky, senior manager of Volunteer Activities at the New York Blood Center.

And in the last few months, she's been cleaning a lot.

"People need to be safe and they need to feel safe. They want to know that someone is paying attention," she said.

Fair was even able to stay engaged when the Blood Center suspended its volunteer program at the height of the pandemic. She encouraged others to donate. 

"I actually texted friends that I knew that had given at drives and said please consider going to a permanent center because they will be open and they will need blood," she said.

Fair also helped out at blood drives in Rhode Island, when she was there taking care of family.

"It's a way I can help. This isn't just giving back. This is helping our society move forward at a very tough time," Fair said.

For selflessely helping to keep the city moving forward during its time of crisis, Ellen Fair is our New Yorker of the Week.