AUSTIN, TX — It's no secret Texans love their barbecue, and those in the Lone Star State are known a generosity of spirit so often seen when neighbors helps neighbors and people come to the aid of strangers in times of natural disasters.

Where are we going with this? Well, here's a chance to combine both a penchant for grilled meat with the reflexive acts of goodwill by donating blood. In observance of National Blood Donor Month this January, We Are Blood — providing blood to patients at more than 40 Central Texas hospitals and medical facilities — will celebrate with a donor contest offering donors chance to win dinner at Austin's acclaimed Franklin BBQ. We can almost hear that life-saving blood of yours flowing more rapidly through your veins with excitement. Yes, you read that right: You could be one of 20 lucky donors to win a special dinner on Feb. 8 prepared by esteemed grill masters Franklin BBQ — venerable purveyors of mouth-watering meat where people are known to wait in line for three hours before being seated.

"We Are Blood collects 50,000 blood donations per year for a Central Texas population of two and a half million people," We Are Blood's Vice President of Community Engagement Nick Canedo said in a prepared statement. "Many are not aware that we require 200 whole blood donations every day to meet our community's need." Go for the meat to be sure (we would too), but be driven by the blood bank's urgent need. As Canelo noted, blood banks traditionally tend to see a drop-off in donations during and immediately after the winter holiday season.

"We Are Blood provides blood to over 40 hospitals and clinics, including Dell, Seton and St. David's medical centers, but we tend to see a 30 percent decrease in donations during the holiday weeks," Canelo noted. To help raise awareness and heighten would-be donors' resolve to give back, National Blood Donor Month was first launched in 1970. To further coax Austinites' innate generosity, We Are Blood officials provided some statistics:

Type O negative blood is the universal donor, but only seven percent of the population carries this blood type, meaning it is frequently in high demand but short supply.

A tattoo does not immediately negate your eligibility. If you get a tattoo from a licensed tattoo parlor, you can donate blood at We Are Blood the same day.

Whole blood can be donated every 56 days and must be used within 42 days

Platelets can be donated every 10 days and must be used within five days In addition to donations made at We Are Blood's three donor centers, the organization hosts two to four mobile blood drives daily — that's about 100 mobile drives per month — in order to meet this need, blood bank officials added.

So roll up your sleeve and participate in National Blood Donor Month — and year round — by donating at any of three donor centers on North Lamar, Round Rock and South Austin, blood bank officials encouraged. Check locations for hours and days of operation.

About We Are Blood

We Are Blood is the exclusive provider of our community's blood supply. They have been drawing Central Texans together since 1951, when they were founded by the Travis County Medical Society as the "Travis County Medical Society Blood Bank."