Blood banks and food banks have partnered to encourage the public to double up on holiday generosity, encourages people to participate in the first ever Bleed and Feed.
It's an initiative to encourage blood donors to donate a non-perishable food item when visiting a blood donor clinic.
"We recognize the holidays are an extremely busy time of year so we're encouraging our supporters to spend their precious time doing two good deeds at once - bleed and feed," said Ed Yee, director of donor and clinic services for Canadian Blood Services in the British Columbia and Yukon region.
All B.C. blood donor clinics will have food collection boxes until Dec. 31, and all food collected will go to local community food banks.
"By filling two kinds of banks at once - the blood bank and the food bank - you'll help make the season brighter for even more people in need," said Don Armstrong, president of Food Banks British Columbia.
Blood is not only needed for trauma victims over the holiday season, but for patients undergoing chemotherapy treatments, cardiac surgeries, and organ transplants - procedures that all routinely take place around the Christmas and New Year's holidays.
Just for B.C., the Canadian Blood Services needs to collect 10,750 donations to keep up with hospital demand. The Prince George clinics run on Wednesdays from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Thursdays from noon to 7 p.m.
