While Suffolk was spared from all but the mildest effects of Hurricane Florence, that doesn’t mean the storm didn’t affect residents here.

One would be hard-pressed to find Suffolkians without friends and relatives in some of the hardest-hit areas of North Carolina, and many here are worrying about our neighbors to the south without much way to help out.

Fortunately, a number of groups and organizations already are working on getting food, supplies, rescue equipment and more to the folks who need it most.

While there’s always a risk, after disasters like this, of donating to organizations that don’t have the best of intentions, or of donating supplies that never get used, some local organizations have demonstrated reliability in the past and already are working directly with other groups in North Carolina to ensure that there is an outlet for the donated items.

Suffolk Christian Church was among the first local organizations to begin organizing a drive. Kelly Myles and Priscilla Bunch from the church are aiming to fill an entire 24-passenger bus with supplies this Saturday, and they are working directly with a church in North Carolina that will distribute the items.

“It’s the right thing to do,” Myles told a reporter this week.

They’re collecting items including blankets, socks, baby bottles, work gloves, trash bags and more. A full list is constantly being updated at the Facebook page “Stuff the Suffolk Christian Church Bus — North Carolina Bound.”

In today’s news, you can read about The Fallen Outdoors collecting donations at the Suffolk Walmart on Wednesday. They gathered supplies as well as $350 in cash donations, and the group of veterans and active-duty military are working directly with comrades at a North Carolina TFO chapter to find people in need of the donations.

We look forward to reporting on more of these local efforts and encourage our fellow Suffolkians to give if possible.