With the start of a new year, you, your friends, and family can make a big difference by pledging to give blood twice in 2022 to help save lives and in the process — you can turn your day around through this simple, essential, and lifesaving act.

Why Donate? The nation’s blood supply depends on philanthropy in the form of blood donation from a diverse pool of donors. All blood types are needed. It takes 24-48 hours to process, test and prepare a pint of blood for transfusion.

Someone requires blood every two seconds.

Doing so ensures the availability of the nation’s blood supply for Veterans and patients in need. Vitalant and its community blood centers around the country – depend on a diverse pool of donors of all ethnicities to maintain the nation’s blood supply to meet the needs of the one in seven patients entering a hospital that requires a blood transfusion.

While Veterans and active duty military members know the importance of blood donation, we ask that you help spread awareness of the need for blood donors among those who may not realize their own ability to impact patients throughout the U.S. January is National Blood Donor Month and the national community is encouraging all eligible individuals to commit to donating blood at least twice throughout 2022.

Blood shortages have become a national epidemic with communities throughout the U.S. experiencing these shortages more frequently and for prolonged periods of time nationwide due to disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Now is the time for you to make a difference.

If every eligible individual pledges and also follows through on donating blood at least one more time than they did in 2021, blood shortages would be eliminated. It is safe and easy to donate blood. All eligible individuals are encouraged to schedule an appointment to help maintain the nation’s blood supply for its availability whenever and wherever it is needed.

This National Blood Donor Month, we thank you, all current and future blood donors, for your resiliency, reliability and commitment to turn your day around by making an appointment to donate blood, assisting blood centers in performing their essential, lifesaving missions.

During emergencies, it is the blood on the shelf that has been donated, collected, tested and processed that saves lives. Do your part and help to stabilize your local community’s blood supply to prevent hospitals from potentially being forced to alter treatment for some patients or cancel patient surgeries.

More than 33,000 daily donations are required throughout the U.S. to meet patient needs. Be the difference in potentially saving a life by making blood donation a habit this January for you, your friends and family, and committing to donating blood at least twice this year.

To schedule an appointment to donate blood, visit Vitalant.org.