With summer holidays quickly approaching, Canadian Blood Services is urging Winnipeggers to donate blood.

Mike Choi, territory manager at Canadian Blood Services says summer is a challenging time for blood donations not only in Winnipeg, but across the country.

"People tend to be out at the cabin, out doing outdoor activities with friends and family, and blood donation is not always at the top of mind. So we tend to see blood donations fall. With that being said, cancer patients, someone who lives with a blood disorder or someone who gets into a terrible motor vehicle accident, they rely on blood donations all throughout the summer. So we are really encouraging Manitobans and Canadians across the country to roll up their sleeves this summer to support hospital patients in need, " explained Choi.

Although they are well prepared going into the long weekend, Canadian Blood Services is still in need of plenty of help during the rest of the summer months. Currently there are over 700 appointments to fill in the first two weeks of July in Winnipeg, with an additional 300 to fill across the province.

"People like to try and sneak in that last donation before they take off for the summer, but what they don't realize is that the demand for blood is constant, and just donating before you head off on holidays, it's great, but it doesn't necessarily mean it is going to be helping patients all throughout the summer. So, it is really important that if you can, to book in another appointment during the summer to ensure a steady safe supply of blood throughout the summer and into the fall," said Choi.

According to Choi, blood donation is a really easy process. He says it takes about an hour of your day, with the actual portion of it where you're donating blood, typically taking less than 10 minutes.

There are a number of ways to make an appointment to donate blood. You can either go to blood.ca and book your appointment there using the clinic locater. You can call 1-888-2 -DONATE or you can use Canadian Blood Services app called Give Blood.