By TARA HETTINGER, Evening News
Tara.Hettinger@newsandtribune.com
More people needing help this season, along with fewer people giving due to tighter budgets, is making some who work for charities a little nervous about making this year's holiday season a bright one for all.
The 25th annual The Salvation Army Angel Tree is a tradition regularly seen at Greentree Mall. The difference this year is about 500 more angels decorate the tree when compared to last year.
"This is the biggest year we've ever had," Roxanne Haley, business administer for The Salvation Army said, adding that the total is 4,654 angels. "We just need the public's help."
She said the group needs financial donations or for people to adopt the angels.
"[I'm a] little concerned," Haley said, reminiscing on the first year, when the tree only had 200 angels. "I'm more concerned this year than I think I've ever have been because of the numbers.
"We have to feel confident that the public will get out and adopt those children."
Haley's anxieties are felt among many other charity groups
"We're just really constrained on how we can do business," said Christine Harbeson, executive director of Interfaith Council, which serves Floyd County. "Usually, we can buy extra food, help people with their rent by using money that isn't designated for other funds. Once that's gone, we can only operate within the areas of designated funds. If something happens, we can't deal with it.
"And those funds are nearly depleted."
"We have seen an uptick in client load in recent weeks, certainly due to economic conditions," said Mark Porter, executive director for the Center for Lay Ministries. "The economy is also starting to show its effect in that some funders of grants are saying they will have less to give in the next grant cycles."
"The economy has affected our fundraising efforts and it's possible that we may not raise more money than we did last year. That, in turn, hurts our agencies and the programs they support," said Mark Zanni, vice president of marketing and communications for Metro United Way, which oversees many nonprofit organizations. "Due to the effect that the economy has had within our community, there is [also] a greater need for assistance."
"The economy has taken a toll on those individuals who were just barely making ends meet," Doug Drake, executive director with Personal Counseling Service, a faith-based organization that provides counseling and psychiatric services to residents in Southern Indiana. "The financial stressors has increased anger in some people, acts of violence has increased, depression is rising as well as a sense of helplessness in some families."
"We are receiving an additional 8-10 calls per day for our services and many of these are single-parent families with children who desperately need these mental health services but have no insurance or Medicaid," he added, saying donations received are used to provide those services.
Those needing help aren't just families or youngsters, but also the seniors. One group helping seniors is Home Instead Senior Care, who is sponsoring Be a Santa to a Senior.
Kim Maniloff, director of marketing for Home Instead, said the Southern Indiana group took less names this year, since the group is worried about the economy stopping people from helping more.
"I wish I could take every one of them," Maniloff said of the seniors needing assistance. "I think it's important that we remember that kids aren't the only ones that need to be included in Christmas."
The troubled economy has not just taken a toll on donations, but it is making those needing help more desperate.
"We've got people wanting gift cards for groceries, laundry detergent. It's pretty heartfelt. It just makes me cry," she said.
Maniloff, like many others, is holding on to faith that it will all work out.
"I smile too knowing that Southern Indiana is awesome," she said, referring to 50 seniors names being placed on a tree in Wal-Mart in New Albany for adoption and all being gone in the first day.
Some, such as Toys for Tots locally, are seeing increases in giving.
"I've had so many people concerned, I think there are more people giving than before," said John Peyton, volunteer coordinator for the Southern Indiana counties for the program. "I think that those, who are close to the edge with a tight budget, appreciate what it means to give a child a gift of hope. That's what a gift at Christmas does. It tells a child that someone cares and it gives them hope."
Peyton said the success is all thanks to the people who live in Southern Indiana.
"Every year, the generosity of the people in this area, they come through. It's incredible," he said. "I'm absolutely delighted every year to see how people care so much."
Others are holding on to hope to have the same success.
"Just this week, we sent out our annual appeal letter to our regular donors," said Keith Stormes, executive director of LifeSpan Resources Inc., which works to feed seniors. "We are optimistic, but won't know the results for a couple of weeks yet."