As the Boston Marathon bombing drama continues to play out in Massachusetts, a lot of folks here in Atlanta wonder how they might be able to help.

Jacqueline Herd said she, like many Atlantans, finds it difficult to simply sit by and listen as events related to the marathon bombings continue to unfold in Boston.

“We all are left with this feeling of hopelessness in terms of, ‘What can we do? How can we help?’” said Herd, Atlanta Medical Center’s chief nursing officer.

There is a way, she continued.

In a sterile-looking mobile clinic, a cheerful nurse sits at a tiny desk, taking information from the man in front of her and filling in a form on her computer.

“Are you allergic to latex or iodine?” she asks.

It’s the first line of questioning for anyone donating blood. This Life South bloodmobile has been set up at Atlanta Medical Center in honor of the Boston Marathon bombing victims and the flow of donors is as steady as the falling rain.

The blood given here does not go to Boston. Instead, it does immeasurable good in the Atlanta metro area.

For many, that sense of contributing is what alleviates the feeling of helplessness in the face of the terror attack in Boston.

“Yeah,” said donor Stacey Matti, “it feels like you did something to help something.”