With the season of giving upon us, Canadian Blood Services are seeking new donors to meet the demand.

There is always a decrease in donations during the holiday season, due to regular donors having prior seasonal commitments.

Blood products have a very limited shelf life and donations are always needed to meet demand.

Lisa Castro with Canadian Blood Services says new donors are crucial.

"We currently have less than two days worth of inventory of O- blood on hand and about four days of A- blood so we need to have between a five and eight day supply of blood and blood products to meet anticipated hospital demands. Really, new donors are critical to meeting Canada's future blood needs."

A donor clinic will be held in Okotoks on January 23rd, and on January 7th in High River.

For those looking to donate as soon as possible, donations can be made in Calgary, and Castro says an upcoming clinic in Cochrane on December 31st will require 150 donors to meet demand.

If you are ineligible to donate blood, stem cell donations are also sought after.

There are many ways to book an appointment, including online at blood.ca, over the phone: 1-888-2-DONATE (1-888-236-6283) and via the GiveBlood app.

 

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