A blood drive will be held Monday, Jan. 13 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Margaret Reed Crosby Memorial Library.

The drive will collect blood for The Blood Center in Picayune and will be hosted by the Friends of the Library, said The Blood Center’s Community Development Manager Suzy Potter.

The goal of the blood drive is to collect at least 15 donations. Donors are asked to sign up prior to Jan. 13 so the appropriate amount of staff can be scheduled.

The Blood Center is a nonprofit that supplies blood, blood components and plasma derivatives to more than 30 hospitals in southern Mississippi and southern Louisiana, according to the organization’s website.

A 3-year-old cancer patient from Picayune is one of the patients who benefits from The Blood Center’s work. Kayden has a medulloblastoma, which is a cancerous brain tumor that most commonly occurs in children, said Potter. Unfortunately, Kayden had to spend his Christmas in the hospital this year, she said. He relies on blood transfusions so blood donors who could potentially match his blood type are needed.

Blood donors must be in good health, so people who have been exposed to hepatitis or are on blood thinners or heart medication should not donate. Donors need to be at least 17-years-old and 110 pounds. Donors should eat a meal before donating blood and need to bring their ID.

Blood drive coordinator Linda Hanberry can be contacted at reli62@bellsouth.net or 601-798-0832.