The interior design student has donated 13 times this year, and 80 times in total, to help those in need of blood.

"I like to donate because it's the right thing to do for the community," she said.

"It's an easy thing I can do in less than an hour that goes a long way. I was originally doing it as a school initiative at MacKillop College and have just continued it.

"It's really accessible to anyone really because you can just pop in and let them do it. I have a few friends who donate but I think there's still a stigma about it and there are people who don't have a lot of time for it."

There are a number of 'lifeblood teams' vying to record the highest number of donations for 2020. The current leading teams as of July 1 are Essential Energy on 197 donations, Charles Sturt University on 132 and Port Macquarie Hastings Council on 96.

An Australian Red Cross spokeswoman said donations can be used to treat cancer patients, people undergoing surgery and those with blood disorders.

"Blood only has a shelf life of 42 days, which means the need for blood is constant," she said.

"Back in March we made a call out for blood donations in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and we were overwhelmed by the generosity of donors in Australia in response.

"In addition we are calling on people who have recovered from COVID-19 to donate plasma as part of research into whether their plasma could be used to help treat people with the disease."

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