Tough times for our nation’s economy and American families certainly translate into tough times for our community’s non-profits.

Cuts to grant programs such as the one that funds a large portion of the Sunshine Children’s Center budget may, unfortunately, become more frequent in the months to come.

Similar cuts have left the Mississippi Red Cross with no choice but to close many of its offices.

Luckily, the Adams County Red Cross office wasn’t on the closure list.

We are thankful to have our local chapter just down the street, and we think their continued presence means help will be here when needed.

The local chapter of the Red Cross shone brightest in the days just before and just after Hurricane Katrina.

Local volunteers worked for days straight to staff eight local shelters full of hurricane evacuees.

Eventually, help from the national chapter came in to relieve our tired volunteers, but without the locals on the scene immediately the situation could have been awful.

The story is much the same for victims of house fires. Help — even if it’s just a reassuring word — needs to be there while the fire is still blazing, not when it sits smoldering hours later.

We are thankful our chapter is here to stay, and we appreciate the work of the local director, her staff and all the wonderful volunteers.