A couple of months ago, this newspaper sponsored “Spend $20 on the 20th,” a campaign to illustrate the significant economic impact of citizens spending even a little money with local merchants.

Teresa Beale, executive director of the Franklin-Southampton Area Chamber of Commerce, and Terry Thompson, special events coordinator for the Smithfield and Isle of Wight Convention and Visitors Bureau, called our attention recently to a national project with a similar goal.

It’s called “The 3/50 Project: Saving the Brick and Mortars Our Nation is Built On.”

We pass along the details to our readers, with commendation.

■ 3. Think about which three independently owned businesses you’d miss if they were gone. Stop in and say hello. Pick up a little something that will make someone smile. Your contribution is what keeps those businesses around.

■ 50. If just half the employed U.S. population spent $50 each month in independently owned businesses, their purchases would generate more than $42.6 billion in revenue. Imagine the positive impact if three-fourths of the employed population did that.

■ 68. For every $100 spent in independently owned stores, $68 returns to the community through taxes, payroll and other expenditures. If you spend that in a national chain, only $43 stays here. Spend it online and nothing comes home.

■ 1. The number of people it takes to start the trend … you.

Pick 3. Spend 50. Save your local economy.

For more information, visit www.the350project.net.