It does the heart good to know that we live in a community that cares, as well as one that knows how to put that sentiment into action.

It’s more than a mere P.R. gimmick, this relief effort the city has undertaken, intent on helping the hurt and homeless victims of Hurricane Sandy. We ourselves felt a bit of the bite that the super-storm took out of the northeast, and we can easily imagine how much harder it must be for those who bore the brunt it.

As genuinely thoughtful and generous people, it takes no arm-twisting to set our best efforts into motion. Local businesses have given magnanimously of their goods and services, while civic leaders and average citizens alike, hustled to put it all together and get it on the road.

The best part is, we do it all for the best of reasons. For the sheer humanity and decency it represents. We can expect no less from ourselves, as we routinely prove to ourselves in our finest moments.

We wish our neighbors to the south a full and revitalizing recovery, and have done our small part in helping this to happen. We would surely do it all again without a moment’s hesitation.

As a city that knows how, we also need to remember why. It is for those who are hurting. As we all can sometimes be.