It’s easy to overlook the many organizations that live in Marquette County that, through one device or another, provide funding to deserving nonprofits that serve the population.

They just always seem to be there when a need must be addressed.

That’s how it is with the Superior Health Foundation, which staged its annual fall grants celebration last week. Headed by Jim LaJoie, SHF gave out a record $507,000 Wednesday, including a whopping $400,000 to the Michigan Public Transit Association, in partnership with the Michigan Transportation Connection.

The money will go toward Connect UP, a project aimed at a unified approach to tie in public transit agencies across the U.P. to work together to provide safe, reliable transportation for patients to get to and from non-emergent medical appointments, according to a Mining Journal story on the matter.

“Non-emergent transportation, and lack thereof, has long been a well-discussed topic in the Upper Peninsula,” LaJoie said in a press release. “Despite knowing the complexities of addressing this issue, our U.P.-wide board of directors is committed to finding solutions to assure patients and their families get to and from non-emergent medical appointments safely and effectively.”

In addition, some $25,000 in mini-grants and more than $82,000 in large grants was awarded to more than 20 other deserving organizations.

We’ve used this space in the past to laud the SHF and we’re doing it again. It does outstanding work that is proving crucial to the community it serves.