Photo Canadian Blood Services
Canadian Blood Services says there's been a national "spike" in donations of blood in the wake of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash that left 16 people dead and 13 others injured.
Spokesman Hailu Mulatu says several cities in Western Canada have seen donation increases of about 25 per cent above their averages, including Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Calgary and Edmonton. He says at least one clinic in Saskatchewan had a 50 per cent increase.
Donations are also up about 10 per cent in the Greater Toronto Area and there have been many requests for information about organizing blood drives in the near future.
Canadians have also opened their wallets to help support the families of the victims of last Friday's crash, which occurred outside Tisdale, Sask.
Over $9.4 million has been pledged to a GoFundMe campaign, which the crowdfunding website says is the largest ever in Canada.
More than 100,000 donors in 65 countries have contributed to the campaign — ranked among the five most successful campaigns ever on the platform — with donations ranging from $5 to $50,000 coming from individuals, families, sports teams and multinational corporations.
Mulatu says the deluge of interest in donating blood came without a special appeal for donations by Canadian Blood Services.
"We have received so many requests from so many people and organizations reaching out to us about what they can do, interest in organizing a blood drive at their site or coming as a group to donate," Mulatu says.
"Overall we can say at the national level we have seen a spike."
