The local outpouring of donations and help for people displaced by Hurricane Katrina has been heartwarming but not surprising.

Lawrence and Douglas County are filled with caring people willing to reach out and help those who are less fortunate.

As a community, however, we also need to remember that it doesn’t take a hurricane to produce people with needs; many such people already live in our county and need our help.

A story in the Journal-World last week noted that several local food banks – and the people who depend on them – are looking at empty shelves. Many local agencies’ own operations have suffered while they committed time and money to organizing hurricane relief efforts. The many local contributions to the American Red Cross, for instance, will aid victims of the hurricane, but none of that money will come back to Douglas County to help our own Red Cross operation, which has dedicated considerable staff time and energy to hurricane assistance.

The needs here at home continue to grow.

There are many wonderful opportunities to give. The Lawrence Interdenominational Nutrition Kitchen (LINK) has a benefit auction and speech scheduled tonight. The Lawrence Humane Society’s annual fundraising auction is next week. The United Way of Douglas County is in the midst of its annual campaign to raise funding to provide year-round support to 25 local social service agencies.

In a column in Tuesday’s Journal-World, syndicated business columnist Michelle Singletary focused on the benefits of establishing a habit of charitable giving. Dramatic events like Hurricane Katrina tend to inspire people to open their hearts and their wallets, but the challenge, Singletary said, “is to keep that spirit of giving all the time.”

Part of what touches our emotions about the suffering of people after the hurricane is that it reminds us of the frailty of human life and how any of us, at any time, could find ourselves vulnerable to forces or events that are out of our control. At one time or another, almost all of us are going to need a helping hand. Making sure that help is available to everyone in our community who needs it is a large part of the reason we give.

The needs are here now, and they will be here next week and next year. It’s important that we commit our caring and contributions not only to help victims of the dramatic disaster but also to meet the everyday needs of the people in Douglas County.