I often feel like I don’t do enough to help my fellow man. Last week, I did the bare minimum.

After delivering the newspaper, I swung over to the Hartley Community Center to donate blood for the first time. I really don’t know why it took me this long to do it, but it did nonetheless.

Since I’m good at laying down and doing nothing, I figured this would be a breeze. I was right – the whole ordeal took less than an hour.

A quiet crisis is what sparked me to get pricked and drained. The Red Cross last month announced an emergency blood shortage, as the number of donors has hit a 20-year low. As per a January NPR report, the number of people donating blood has dropped by 40 percent over the last two decades, and there was a nearly 7,000-unit shortfall in blood donations between Christmas and New Year’s Day alone. That’s not good news for anyone in need of an emergency transfusion or something else.

The woman who drew my blood verified the problem is persistent in northwest Iowa. She reported donations at LifeServe’s Sioux City location were sparse, and they were starting to brainstorm promotional ideas to attract more donors. Hopefully folks start answering the call.

I recieved a blood transfusion nine years ago following an extended illness that caused my hemoglobin levels to plummet. I should have started paying it forward back then once I recovered, but better late than never I guess.

If you have an hour to lay in a reclined chair and do nothing, I encourage you to donate at your next local blood drive. It’s easy, quick and they even give you free snacks.

Nick Pedley is the news editor and ad manager of The Hartley Sentinel-The Everly/Royal News.