January is National Blood Donor Month

New York Blood Center (NYBC) and its divisions in Manhattan, Long Island, Hudson Valley, Brooklyn/Staten Island, and New Jersey, are calling upon the community to donate blood in recognition of National Blood Donor Month and to help save lives.

Ablood drive will be held 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 23 at the Ocean County Mall, 1201 Hooper Ave., Toms River.

Approximately every two seconds, someone needs blood. Every day in the U.S., approximately 39,000 units of blood are needed in hospitals and emergency treatment facilities for patients with cancer and other diseases, for organ transplant recipients, and to help save the lives of accident victims.

Blood is traditionally in short supply during the winter months. January, in particular, can be a difficult month for blood centers to collect blood donations, as approximately 15 percent of regional blood collection comes from high schools and colleges, many of which have winter recess this month.

To donate blood, call 800-933-2566 or go to www.nybloodcenter.org.