The American Red Cross has issued an emergency call for blood donations to replenish their low summer blood supply. Blood donations have fallen short of hospital needs over the last few months, and the Red Cross estimates they have 39,000 fewer donations right now than what they need. Currently blood products are being distributed to hospitals faster than donations are coming in, which has led to this emergency request for donations. One of the theories for why blood stores are so low is an increase in people going on summer vacation, so many regular donors have postponed donations. The Red Cross says every two seconds in the United States, blood is needed to respond to emergencies. To keep up with the demand, they need to collect approximately 14,000 donations every day. To schedule an appointment to donate, visit RedCrossBlood.org or call 1-800-733-2767.