Canadian Blood Services is encouraging people to roll up their sleeves and donate this February, as they still have about 100 appointments to fill in the next nine days.

The Fill the Seats initiative is a pledge program to get people to make and keep blood, plasma, and platelet donation appointments.

Community Development Manager with Canadian Blood Services, Gord Skiffington, says they need donations of all types.

Skiffington says type O negative blood donations are especially valuable because it is the universal blood type. He says it is given to people in emergency situations, and to premature babies where blood type is unknown.