LEXINGTON, Ky. – The winter weather barreling through Kentucky this weekend has impacted Kentucky Blood Center operations for Monday, Jan. 26. The 18th annual Big Blue Slam will still begin Monday, but only at Lexington’s donor centers.

KBC’s Beaumont and Andover donor centers will be open Monday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. All other KBC donor centers will be closed, and all mobile drive locations scheduled for Monday have been canceled, including at the University of Kentucky.

KBC hopes to resume full operations on Tuesday. All eight KBC donor centers will be open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and mobile blood drives open to the public at the University of Kentucky (Gatton Student Center and William T. Young Library), at the Kentucky Farm Bureau in Springfield and at the Aspire Center in Monticello are still on as scheduled for Tuesday.

Big Blue Slam runs through Friday, Jan. 30. The competition notwithstanding, donors will be needed this week to make up for donations lost due to the inclement weather. Donors are encouraged to donate blood this week when conditions are safe to do so, but please check the latest collection hours and opportunities at bit.ly/BigBlueSlam2026. Donors can schedule an appointment at kybloodcenter.org or call 800.775.2522.

Big Blue Slam, an annual blood battle between KBC and LifeSouth Community Blood Center to see who can collect the most blood, was created with weather events like this weekend in mind. The winter season, because of weather-related cancellations and illnesses, can hinder collections. The spirit of competition motivates the rival fan bases to fill the shelves with a healthy supply of blood.

Kentucky leads the all-time series 11-6, including victories in four straight competitions, but KBC will be behind the eight ball with Monday’s reduced operations. All donors will receive a Big Blue Slam T-shirt as a thank you for saving local lives.

Blood donors must be at least 17 years old (16 with parental consent), weigh at least 110 pounds, be in general good health, show a photo I.D. and meet additional requirements. Sixteen-year-old donors must have a signed parental permission slip, which can be found at kybloodcenter.org.