Meridian and Lauderdale County residents are invited to join in helping others receive lifesaving care as the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Department hosts its Blue Blood Heroes Blood Drive Tuesday.

Sheriff Ward Calhoun said the Vitalant Bloodmobile will be parked outside the department from 2-6:30 p.m. for residents and deputies to donate blood.

“Everybody roll your sleeve up and come on down to the parking lot in front of our office,” he said.

According to Vitalant, medical facilities use 30,000 units of red blood cells each day, as well as 6,000 units of plasma and 6,000 units of platelets. A need for blood occurs every two seconds, the company states on its website.

Throughout the month of November, donors who give blood, platelets or plasma will be entered into a drawing for the chance to win one of three $10,000 gift cards from Vitalant. The drawing runs through Dec. 1, with the three winners chosen randomly on Dec. 5.

Mississippi Blood Services, a not-for-profit blood service that supplies blood to hospitals and other medical facilities throughout the state, maintains a scale on its website to show the need for different types of blood. According to the tracker, the state has a severe shortage of blood types B-, O+ and O-, and a critical need for A+, A- and B+ type blood and platelets.

Residents can schedule an appointment during Tuesday’s blood drive by visiting donors.vitalant.org, scanning the QR code on fliers promoting the event or by calling Andy Matuszewski.