"I've got plenty of fat cells, so I've got plenty of blood to give away," High said.

Phernell High said he tries to never miss the annual blood drive at Grand Central Terminal.

“Cause you’re helping someone sick who needs the blood. There’s not much more than that,” he said.

But according to the New York Blood Center, there are fewer and fewer blood donors like High. The organization says donations have dropped by 31 percent since 2010.

"And if we don't have people giving blood, patients are ultimately impacted," said Elizabeth Castro of the New York Blood Center.

Nearly 2,000 donations are needed each day in New York and New Jersey. Those donations are used in operations and for patients battling cancer, receiving organ transplants, and being treated for trauma or burns.

"My mom has had blood transfusions before, so it's pretty good to help people out knowing that my family has benefited from it," said Sandy Guerro, who said Thursday was her first time donating blood.

Anyone from the ages of 17 to 75 can donate blood. Someone 16 years old can also donate with parental permission.

Castro says an aging donor base has contributed to declining supply. Another factor is that more people are traveling to countries where diseases make them ineligible to give blood for up to a year.

"The fact that blood expires, we need people donating blood on a regular basis to address the shortage of blood we have in the community," Castro said.

While blood plasma can be stored for up to a year, red blood cells expire after 42 days and platelets expire after just five.

"Today, I'm donating platelets, and that only has a five-day shelf life, so it is more important for people to do that because it doesn't last very long. You can’t store it for very long. We need to constantly do it," said donor Angela Gomez.

The New York Blood Center's goal for the annual drive at Grand Central was 400 donations. As an incentive, they offered free Yankees tickets to the first 250 donors. It was a perk that appealed to Gomez. 

"Especially because it's Yankees over Mets," she said. "Either way, it would have been nice to go to a game."

If you missed Thursday's drive, donations can be arranged anytime by visiting nybloodcenter.org.