Mississippi Blood Services has coordinated with Community Bank in Brandon to give donors the opportunity to give blood in honor of Mississippi State University Chief Communications Officer Sid Salter.
Salter was diagnosed with lymphoma earlier this year and is currently undergoing treatment. MBS Public Relations and Communications Manager Merle Eldridge said a representative from Community Bank recently reached out to MBS about donating blood in his honor.
MBS is now in the process of organizing blood drives specifically in Salter's honor.
A code — "DO79"— has already been created by MBS to donate blood in Sid Salter's honor.
On Thursday, a blood drive in the parking lot of Vowell's Marketplace was the first local drive to allow donations in Salter's honor. The drive was not organized to donate in Salter's honor, but it was the first time in Starkville that it was offered.
"Since we happened to be in Starkville, today, we thought that we would give the people the opportunity to donate for him there," Eldridge said.
Eldridge said Thursday's blood drive did not have the staff to accommodate the outpouring support for Salter.
Eldridge said MBS will announce the locations and dates for its upcoming "In Honor of Sid Salter" Blood Drive when all the details are finalized.
The next local blood drive by MBS will be Wednesday, June 28, from noon to 6 p.m. at OCH Regional Medical Center. The drive on Wednesday is not a part of the upcoming "In Honor of Sid Salter" Blood Drive, which is still in the planning stages.