A lot of things expand this time of year: waistlines, social calendars, to-do lists — but during the busy holiday season one much-needed item is consistently in short supply.
Canadian Blood Services is making an urgent appeal for blood donors over the holidays. The organization said fewer people tend to donate at this busy time of year.
“It is a tough time for donations, especially the time between Christmas and New Year’s,” said Gayle Voyer, territory manager for Canadian Blood Services.
However, the need for blood donations doesn’t drop off over the holidays.
“Blood does have an expiry date, so the need is constant,” Voyer said.
“Currently we are able to meet the demands of hospital patients, but our inventory is declining. So we are just asking people to come out and donate and bring our inventory up so we can continue to save the lives of hospital patients.”
The blood donation clinic in Kelowna has 170 appointments open between now and January 6. The clinic will even be open New Year’s Day.
Anyone interested in helping meet the holiday need for blood donations can book an appointment online or the clinic also accepts walk-ins.