The idea of getting poked with a big needle and having some of your blood siphoned out is not at all a pleasant one.

However, people who are brave enough to get jabbed and allow some of their blood to be drawn out are a type of hero commonly called a blood donor. They save a lot of lives.

Donating blood takes about an hour, according to leaders of Lifeserve Blood Center, which has a facility in Fort Dodge. In that hour, a blood donor can save three local lives, they say.

Blood and blood products are needed by trauma patients, premature infants, cancer patients, organ transplant recipients and people suffering from all kinds of other conditions. And when those patients need blood, they need it right away. That’s why a good supply of blood is key for the state and nation.

That blood comes from donations. Unfortunately, the nation’s new nemesis, the coronavirus, has hit blood donations just like it has hammered every other aspect of life. LifeServe Blood Center, like blood banks across the nation, has had to cancel a lot of mobile blood drives. Those drives yield a lot of donations. In some cases, they produce the majority of donations.

The mobile blood drives have been put on hold, but the need for blood remains.

Now is the time for more people to roll up their sleeves and join the ranks of blood donor heroes.

This month may be an especially good time to do so, because the American Red Cross and other health care related organizations recognize January as National Blood Donor Month. The month has been marked since 1970 as a way to encourage donations during the winter.

We urge anyone who is healthy and meets the criteria for donating blood to do so.

For more information on donating blood or to schedule an appointment to donate, visit www.lifeservebloodcenter.org or call 1-800-287-4903.