Whether it’s supporting the arts to make our community a better place to live or providing emergency food to feed our neighbors facing a family disaster, charitable giving has always been one important way we improve our lives.

In the last few months, this column has shown what’s being done here at home to help people recover from difficult circumstances and succeed.

We’ve looked at why education is so important and what groups like Communities in Schools, the Coalition for Families and the Boys and Girls Clubs are doing to help children overcome obstacles and enjoy a brighter future.

We’ve delved into how organizations like Christians United Outreach Center and The Salvation Army are helping people get the short- and long-term financial assistance they need to become independent.

But the most critical need for philanthropy may be in the general area of health. Think about it: A child with a toothache may not be able to concentrate enough in school to learn. People too sick to work cannot earn money to live. And if our health deteriorates completely, what difference will an education or income make?

Perhaps nobody understands the challenge better than Marilyn Green. As executive director of the Helping Hand Clinic in downtown Sanford, Marilyn orchestrates a veritable army of doctors, dentists and other health professionals, who provide free medical care for area residents with a low income and no medical insurance.

About 96 volunteers, including more than two dozen physicians, currently serve patients — often people with chronic illnesses like diabetes and asthma and no way to pay for treatment.

The Helping Hand Clinic operates a pharmacy, where qualifying patients can receive a free 90-day supply of medicine, thanks to an ongoing national outreach by pharmaceutical companies. One local patient, Marilyn says, recently received $5,000 worth of pharmaceuticals he never would have been able to afford. That’s how the clinic manages to turn a $150 contribution into $1,500 worth of prescription medicines for needy, uninsured neighbors.

Even dental care is provided in an unusual arrangement for free clinics. Instead of bringing in a dentist once or twice a week — which makes it difficult for patients to receive emergency treatment — the Helping Hand Clinic has developed a referral program allowing low-income patients to receive care at dental offices around town.

Everything from lab tests to eyeglasses are provided free of charge. In all, volunteers combined last year alone to provide about $3 million worth of free medical care to people who need it the most.

With people losing jobs in a struggling economy, life has suddenly become complicated for Marilyn and her team. More people than ever need services, and that occurs at a time when many donors don’t have as much to contribute.

Still, Marilyn remains optimistic.

“Sanford has always been a caring community, and our people always respond,” she said recently. “People here in Sanford are stepping up to the plate and taking care of people in need. I just wish that more people in the community could know about the wonderful things happening here, and understand that so many doctors are giving so much of their time.”

If the entire community didn’t know already, let’s hope they all do now.