All over the country, people are cutting back expenses. And when cutting back, entertainment is often the first thing eliminated.

For many people, this means no trips to the movie theater, no splurging on concert tickets and no doing the things they used to do.

It makes sense. When someone loses a job, the extra money they once had almost needs to go to necessities.

Fortunately, Jay Leno wants to help those people. On April 7, he performed a free comedy show at the Palace of Auburn Hills, near Detroit, for the unemployed.

This Sunday (Mother’s Day), he’s bringing that “Comedy Stimulus” road show to Wilmington’s Roberts Centre.

Unemployed people (on their honor) can pick up two tickets each at the Roberts Centre by providing a photo I.D.

As Leno himself said in a press release when he announced the event, these are good people who are having a hard time. They deserve something like this.

Many of the city’s employees who work for Wilmington Air Park and other businesses got a bout of bad news in mid-April. DHL Express announced it would move its U.S. hub operations for its international business from Wilmington to the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport by the end of summer. It’s estimated that about half of the 3,500 employees will lose their jobs.

According to statistics from Economagic.com, Wilmington’s unemployment rate as of March was 12.5 percent. That’s higher than the rest of Ohio’s rate at 9.7 and the national rate of 8.5 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Unemployment no doubt causes plenty of negative emotions, not to mention stress. A few laughs – at no price – can certainly lighten the spirits of those feeling down in the dumps.

It’s great to see people like Leno, who may not have felt the impact of the failing economy, reaching out to help those who have. Sometimes all it takes is a kind gesture like this to make people feel better about their lives and the situation they are in. Performing a comedy show is one of the best ways to do this because a few jokes and laughs can help people forget about their troubles.

The best part is that other organizations are fully behind the idea. Pepsi is sponsoring the event, and the Roberts Centre donated its venue for free.

Times may be tough, but we thank Leno for keeping Ohio in mind for his tour. We hope it makes a great night out for those who haven’t had the luxury of entertainment for a while. As they say, laughter is the best medicine.

The above editorial is the consensus opinion of the Daily Kent Stater editorial board.