Buying local doesn’t just help business owners — it helps the entire county.

That’s the reason Lawrence County Commissioners are naming March as “Buy in Lawrence County Month.”

The idea behind the special designation is to encourage Lawrence County residents to shop at local businesses so the half percent sales tax gleaned from the shopping can help bolster the county’s emergency services fund.

That half percent may not seem like a lot of revenue, but it’s the only source of money for the emergency services portion of the general fund.

The county’s operating portion of the general fund receives 1 percent of the sales tax to boost its coffers.

It’s scary to think what could happen if the county’s emergency services funds were to be depleted. Ensuring medical personnel are notified of emergencies in a timely manner could be the difference between life and death. And that is a gamble no Lawrence County resident should have to take when dialing 911.

Do your part to help increase the emergency fund and take this opportunity to help out the many hardworking business owners in our community who have poured their hearts into their work.

Shopping local benefits everyone.