Saskatchewan blood clinics are hoping to fill 1000 appointments over the next two weeks. (CBC News)

Canadian Blood Services is urging the people of Saskatchewan to donate blood. It has about 1,000 open appointments for blood donations throughout the province over the next two weeks.

Susan Matsumoto, Director of Donor Relations for Alberta and Saskatchewan, told CBC News on Saturday that the organization fell short on donations in the week leading up to Christmas.

'It's one of the most generous gifts from the heart and it goes directly to save someone's life." - Susan Matsumoto

"We have targets that we set and we fell about 75 units of blood short," Matsumoto said. "We have many openings in the next two weeks, there's about 1,000 appointments to fill."

Matsumoto explained that Canadian Blood Services' offices are open throughout the province this weekend and through the holiday season, with the exception of New Year's Day.

If people want to book an appointment they can do so in one of these ways:

download the Give Blood application for smart phones

go online to blood.ca

call 1-888-2-DONATE

Matsumoto said that every minute of every day in Canada, a person is in need of a blood product.

​"Certain surgeries and procedures do require quite a bit of blood," she said. "If you're a victim of a car accident you could require 50 units of blood to help you. A lot of surgeries require blood, heart surgery requires five units, hip surgeries require two units."

Matsumoto said if people are unsure of whether or not they will meet donation criteria they can look through an eligibility checklist before booking.

Matsumoto also said that there are other ways people can help if they are not eligible, which include volunteering at a clinic or joining the organization's OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network.

"Take an hour out of your day and donate blood. It's one of the most generous gifts from the heart and it goes directly to save someone's life," Matsumoto said.

Clinics in Saskatchewan

Both Regina and Saskatoon have clinics that are open frequently.

In Regina, the blood donation clinic is located at 2571 Broad St. In Saskatoon, it is at 325-20th St. East.