Canadian blood services are predicting a low supply over the holidays and are hoping to fill appointments.

They have called for more than 30,000 blood donors across the country to book between now and January 7.

Manager of the Red Deer location Sean Richer says they understand that it's a busy time of year, and just want to get the word out.

“The important thing to remember is that the need for blood is constant and when we get into the holiday season, again it’s when people are getting out of their routine and we just want to send that friendly reminder.”

Richer says one of the most important factors, is that a component in the blood expires very quickly, so regardless of use they still need to replace it.

“The biggest thing with platelets is that a lot of people don’t realize that they do have a shelf life, and that shelf life is only seven days, they are a vital component of blood.”

The Red Deer location is hoping to fill 500 appointments over this time.