Victoria Day weekend is the unofficial kickoff to summer, and Canadian Blood Services is pointing out that breaking out the short sleeves makes it very easy to donate blood.
The need for blood of all types doesn’t take the summer off — certainly not for cancer patients, accident victims, and people with blood disorders.
A stormy winter and a wet spring have left inventory levels lower than normal.
Canadian Blood Services is hoping to stock up before summer arrives and the need increases, but donations decline because of vacations.
“The Give Blood app is the easy way to find out about locations and when clinics are running,” Kendall O’Neill of Canadian Blood Services said. “You can even use it to book an appointment.”
O’Neill said the Greater Hamilton Area needs about 180 units of blood each week.
“The service requires 16,000 blood donations every week in Ontario to stock its shelves and in Hamilton and Stoney Creek, there are over 850 appointments to fill in the next month,” she said.
Upcoming clinics in Hamilton area include:
- Stoney Creek at the Croatian Sports and Community Complex (166 Green Mountain Road East) on Friday, May 19, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
- Waterdown Community Blood Donor Clinic (at St Thomas the Apostle Church) on Monday, May 22, from 2:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.
- Hamilton Blood Donor Clinic (at 35 Stone Church Road) open five days a week for various mornings and evenings.