PRINCETON — With the holiday season ending, eligible Bureau County residents are encouraged to remember one more gift, that of donating blood to the American Red Cross.

On Wednesday, Bureau County Red Cross Executive Director Lori Compton said the winter season can be a difficult time for blood donations due to the possible cold and inclement weather. Also, some donors are “snowbirds”, or people who head south to warmer climates in the winter, which takes away from the local donor numbers. However, snowbirds can donate blood from their winter locations if they live there at least 56 days, which is the required time between blood donations, she said.

Countywide, the Bureau County Red Cross averages six or seven blood drives a month, with the next blood drive set for 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Jan. 3 at the First United Methodist Church, 316 S. Church St. in Princeton.