Canadian Blood Services calling for more donations over summer [Video]

There is a growing demand for blood donations.

In Halifax, only about 70 per cent of appointments are getting filled, which is lower than the national average.

“The need for blood today is greater than it’s ever been in the past decade, so we really need more people to come on out and help donate and support the cause,” said Krysta Hankowski, the community development manager at Canadian Blood Services in Halifax.

There are two main reasons why the demand is higher.

“One is Canada has both an aging and a growing population, and combine that with we’re seeing more surgeries and treatments that require blood and blood products,” said Hankowski.

While there has been a slight increase in the number of donors as the population climbs, it’s still not enough to keep up with demand.

“Every day here in our donor centre – we’re open six days a week – we need 100 people to come in and give. So it’s a …