It might look like a winter wonderland at times, but the winter weather is no wonderland for hospital patients who depend on blood to keep them healthy and alive.

The Ipswich Lions Club is sponsoring a community blood drive on Monday, Jan. 13 from 1:30 to 6 p.m. in Father Bormann Hall. To schedule an appointment, call Larry at 605-216-7354. Sponsor code: ipswich

“In areas with harsh winter weather, cold weather and storms often keep people from donating blood,” says Rob Miller, Donor Recruitment Manager of Vitalant. “With fewer people donating blood, some parts of the country run the risk of having critical blood shortages,” Miller says.

“For those who are out and about and the winter weather hasn’t dampened their routine, we invite them to stop by the blood drive and donate blood,” Miller says.

Vitalant provides a free cholesterol screening with each donation and donors earn reward points for gift cards, t-shirts and more. Volunteer blood donors must be at least 16 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds and be in good health. Additional height/ weight requirements apply to donors 22 and younger, and donors who are 16 must have signed permission from a parent or guardian from vitalant.org .

Before you donate:

• Make sure you eat within two hours of your donation. Drink plenty of water that day and 24-48 hours beforehand.

• Bring your blood donor ID card or photo ID with your full legal name.

To help speed up the process, donors can now complete their Health History the day of their donation by visiting www.vitalant.org .