January is Volunteer Blood Donor Month in Hawai'i, and the timing couldn't be perfect.

According to the Blood Bank of Hawaii, January is one of the slower months for blood donations.

"This is a hard month for us," said Dr. Robyn Yim, president and medical director. "And blood usage tends to be higher in the beginning of the year."

Last year more than 26,000 volunteer blood donors gave nearly 60,000 pints of blood.

And while the number of pints collected has risen, so has the need for blood.

Five years ago, non-military hospitals used about 94,000 pints of blood, Yim said. Last year they used more than 116,000 pints.

The need has increased for various reasons, including more surgeries being performed and improved cancer treatments.

The entire donation process takes about an hour.

Since each donation is separated into three different components — red blood cells, platelets and plasma — a single donation can help save up to three lives.

"You can do so much in so little time," Yim said.

TO BE A DONOR

Giving blood is safe.

The whole process takes about an hour, which includes the actual blood collection.

Donors are given a mini-physical, including checking blood pressure, temperature and weight.

All equipment used is sterile and disposable.

The basic requirements to be a blood donor are: