Blood donation centers across the Philadelphia region are urging healthy donors to step forward after winter weather, seasonal illnesses and the holiday calendar combined to drive donations lower than usual.

American Red Cross spokesperson Dave Skutnik said December proved especially challenging for donation centers. He cited a surge in seasonal illnesses — including flu and norovirus — along with colder temperatures and snowier conditions than in recent years.

"We're coming off the holidays where people are really busy," Skutnik said. "Then you've got some of the seasonal illnesses going around, and that can keep donors at home."

This year, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day all fell during the workweek — typically some of the Red Cross's busiest donation days.

"That kind of kept some of those midweek donors at home because they were busy with their holiday celebrations," Skutnik said.

As a result, donor turnout was lower than in recent years, Skutnik said, creating what he described as a "perfect storm."

Inside the Red Cross lab, where donated blood is processed before being sent to hospitals, the slowdown is visible.

"You can see it's pretty quiet in our manufacturing area right now," Skutnik said. "Because donations are down this time of year, this lab is not as busy as it normally is."

The Philadelphia Red Cross supplies blood to about three dozen hospitals across southeastern Pennsylvania, South Jersey and Delaware. While Skutnik said there is not yet a blood shortage, supplies are tight.

"We're not seeing a blood shortage quite yet, but we are teetering," he said. "The blood is coming in about the same pace that it's going out to hospitals."

The strain is even more acute in neighboring New Jersey. New Jersey Blood Services, a division of New York Blood Center Enterprises, declared a blood emergency Tuesday, citing a less than two-day supply in some areas and record levels of seasonal illness. 

"We noted about a 40% decline in donations over the last few weeks," Yadira Navarro, the Director of Community and Stakeholder relations for New Jersey Blood Services, said. "It's more than 10,000 donations lost during that time frame. It's just an absolute challenge to recover from it."

The organization, which supplies several major hospitals and operates multiple donor centers across the state, says awareness is key.

"We have appointments available; we need people to spread the word," Navarro said. "Something as simple as a social media post may seem menial, but it really goes a long."

To encourage more donors, the American Red Cross has partnered up in a campaign with Eagles running back Saquon Barkley. They are also offering an incentive through Jan. 25: anyone who donates during that period will be entered into a nationwide drawing for a trip for two to the Super Bowl.

Skutnik said the bigger goal, however, is immediate.

"We're asking anyone who's healthy and feeling well to donate blood today," he said.