The early part of the year is always tough for blood donations, but Canadian Blood Services in Sudbury is becoming concerned. It's been falling well short of targets and the organization says part of the problem is the weather.
Luc Kingsley has donated blood over two hundred times.
"I first started about forty years ago. Been doing it because, as the saying goes, it’s the gift of life. It's very easy to do, there is such a need for it." said Kingsley.
That doesn't seem to be the case for others in the community.
On Monday, the local blood donor clinic was aiming to collect forty-eight donations, but only nineteen people rolled up their sleeves.
The organization says one of the major reasons it believes there is a decline in blood donation is the cold winter weather.
"The colder weather is keeping people away because they don't want to leave their warm houses and go out into that cold. We've had a little bit of weather already, also with a lot of snow, so that impacted our collections a few days as well." said Joanne Drake of Canadian Blood Services.
As for those who say it takes too much time or that they are scared of how much it will hurt, Drake says try to focus on the positive.
"If you're having trouble getting through the process, think about that patient at the end of the day that's waiting for that blood transfusion. And by the way, within a week after you donate, that blood is transfused into potentially three different patients, so you're making a huge impact every time you donate blood." said Drake.
The Canadian Blood Services clinic in Sudbury says it will be open next Monday on Family Day and says it is encouraging everyone to spend the day saving a life.
