Inside today, you will find the fifth — and final — day of this year’s annual Progress edition. We hope you have enjoyed reading about some of the huge variety of local businesses, organizations and services that you may not think about much in your day-to-day life.

These groups work hard all year to provide goods, funds and aid to the citizens of this little corner of the world that we call home, and we think it only fair to call attention to that effort.

And make no mistake: it is an effort. Get to know most any local businessperson and you’ll see the hard work and enormous care that goes into their business. Staying afloat in this economy, in this environment deserves accolades.

Hopefully, aside from your longtime favorites, you have found a few new things that interest you. Today’s new arrivals and tomorrow’s legacy businesses — if we but help them along.

We have written before about the merits — and challenges — of shopping locally, and we would like to reiterate that oft-issued rallying cry in the wake of Progress.

Local businesses contribute immensely more to our economic ecosystem than the big box stores and digital titans that comprise so much of today’s shopping environment. But, like most organisms, they will wither and die without the proper support — and when they fall, we all suffer for their loss. That suffering may not come today, and it may not come tomorrow…but make no mistake that we are diminished by every local business that is replaced by a national, or international, chain.

These chains have their place and they have their purpose: like most things, balance is the key.

Living in this part of the world, shopping online is inevitable. Shopping at Walmart is inevitable. We have known people who have tried to boycott “big business” for various reasons, and it rarely ends up working out in the consumer’s favor.

Likewise, however, those among us who shop exclusively online or at chains miss out: on the connection you can form with local entrepreneurs; on specialized goods made locally and with care; and on the feeling of contributing meaningfully to your regional economy instead of exporting those dollars to some company’s bank account half a world away.

We would challenge our readers: within the next month, find a business from among this year’s Progress features, and go check them out. There’s no expectation, on our end, that you will find anything to purchase.

Just go in, look around, chat with the staff and see what’s on offer.

Maybe you won’t find anything…but maybe you will.

It can’t hurt, and it can only help.

These people work extremely hard keeping the lights on, and we are all improved by their efforts. The least we can do is chip in every now and then — just whenever we can afford to.