This month New Zealand Blood Service is hosting mobile donation drives across the Bay of Plenty to continue to meet demand throughout the busy holiday season.

NZBS national marketing and communications manager Shane Paramore said summer was an “extremely challenging” time to meet demand for blood and blood products.

Last month NZBS needed more than 2500 appointments for blood and plasma donations in the Bay of Plenty before Christmas to ensure demand could be met throughout the holidays.

Paramore said people were “understandably busy” before Christmas, then most took a well-earned break. “But the reality is the need for blood and plasma never stops and as New Zealanders stock up for Christmas, we need to do the same,” Paramore said.

“Your donation of blood or plasma will help ensure that patients at their most vulnerable will get the lifesaving transfusion they need.”

Paramore said someone in New Zealand needed a transfusion every 18 minutes. A donation took about an hour and can “genuinely make the difference between life and death”.

As a result, the NZBS is hosting mobile donation drives across Bay of Plenty this month, including stops in Pāpāmoa, Mount Maunganui and Ōmokoroa.

The mobile donation drive stops in Bay of Plenty are at Pāpāmoa Surf Lifesaving Club, 561 Pāpāmoa Rd, on January 20-21; Club Mount Maunganui, 45 Kawaka St, on January 22; and the Ōmokoroa Pavilion, 28 Western Ave on January 23.

“This summer, we’ll be actively targeting popular holiday destinations with our mobile drives in the hopes of making it as easy as possible for people to donate without disrupting their holiday,” Paramore said.

Interested donors can download the NZBS donor app or visit: www.nzblood.co.nz