Canadian Blood Services is asking Burnaby residents to roll up their sleeves next Monday and Thursday.
Territory manager Stephanie Scott said there are still 25 appointments to fill between their three clinics at Paladin Securities, Pacific Blue Cross and Fortius Sport & Health.
"We're about 87 per cent booked, but we're always looking for walk-ins as well," she said.
According to Scott, summer proved to be tough this year because the organization started off the season with the lowest inventory count on record since 2009.
"It's a time people change their habits and go on vacation. They're not always keeping up with the same routine," she said. "What people tend to forget is that summer is when the demand starts going up because of a lot more accidents."
Scott said despite the low donor turnout, Burnaby did well when compared to areas like downtown Vancouver. "When you move to a small community, that's where we'll find larger donor bases. When you move to a big city, you can easily become anonymous," she added. "The good news is once we started letting Burnaby know we were struggling, people started stepping up to the plate."
Roughly half of all Canadians are eligible to donate blood, yet less than four per cent actually do, according to blood services statistics.
"When people think of a blood bank, they often think that blood is being stored for a long time. It's not. We must use it within 41 days," Scott said. "The unit of blood taken from each donor, roughly a pint, is usually given to someone within five days."
One of the problems staff encountered this summer was donors not showing up for their appointments.
"If you can't make it, please cancel because nothing's worse than having an empty clinic," she said.
To book an appointment, download the GiveBlood app, visit blood.ca or call 1-888-2-DONATE (1-888-236-6283).
-With files from Cornelia Naylor
