As the August long weekend approaches, Canadian Blood Services is asking for long weekend blood, platelets, and plasma donors in Red Deer.
“Although one in two Canadians are eligible to donate, only one in 81 does. Be someone’s hero by taking an hour of time to book and keep an appointment to donate over the long weekend and help ensure patients’ needs continue to be met,” said Canadian Blood Services in a statement.
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As of Tuesday, Canadian Blood Services Donor Centre, at 5-5020 68th Street, had over 110 open appointments to fill at donation events that run July 29 and 30, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
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The service said during the pandemic the number of regular donors dropped by 31,000. But after seeking the public’s support in June, the third highest number of new donors was reported last month since the start of the pandemic.
“We are grateful for those donors, but many more are needed to support patients now and, in the future, especially with the unpredictability of the pandemic. We need more than 100,000 new donors in Canada this year to keep up with demand.”
Summer months are always a challenge for collections, but cancer patients, accident victims and people with blood disorders still need lifesaving blood products, the service said.
Book online at blood.ca, use the GiveBlood app, or call 1-888-2-DONATE (1-888-236-6283).
