Christmas was a sign that things were getting worse: 2,800 people showed up for dinner and gifts at The Salvation Army.
“We helped 300 more families than we expected,” said Lynn Hy, The Salvation Army’s marketing events manager.
The Salvation Army is among local faith-based groups struggling to meet the needs of people suffering in the economic meltdown. Spokespeople for the groups say private donations are shrinking, and so they are looking for more government money to help pay for some of their services. The loss of some donations, say the spokespeople, is making it more difficult to serve those most in need.
“People still want to help, but they can’t afford to give as much money,” said Justin Sawyers, community relations associate for InterFaith Works. Like many faith-based groups, InterFaith Works coordinates a variety of programs – including refugee resettlement, housing the disabled and providing companionship to senior citizens – that rely on donations and public money.
In 2007, InterFaith Works’ annual end of the year fund-raiser took in $120,000, recalled Sawyers. At the close of 2008, the event was able to round up only $65,000 – a 46 percent drop. The money is vital for the group’s many programs, Sawyers said. But, as dollar amounts dwindle, he said, the services are tougher to maintain.
“Money is tighter with the way the economy is,” Sawyers said. “But these programs serve the community. Someone counts on them and we can’t lose them.” To continue all its programs, InterFaith Works is planning to campaign harder and watch spending more closely, he said.
Another group battling the drop in donations is Catholic Charities. Onondaga County will give it $3.5 million this year, said Toni Maxwell, director of development. That will cover 28 percent of the group’s $12.7 million budget. That means that county will give Catholic Charities $500,000 more than last year — a 16.6 percent increase.
Last year the group helped more than 40,000 people, Maxwell said. And Catholic Charities expects that number to grow drastically this year, she explained. “Already, we’ve had to make beds out of pallets at one of our shelters just to have enough beds,” Maxwell said. “It’s hard to keep up with the demand.”
Back at The Salvation Army, shelters and food pantries are seeing the homeless and hungry flock in larger numbers, said Hy, the marketing events manager. For example, The Salvation Army has been housing as many as 48 people in one of its 32-bed shelters. At times, families have had to sleep with three or four people in one bed, Hy said. And, the number of people at the food pantries has been double the expected turnout – as many as 1,000 people a month since the spring of 2008.
To deal with the increase, the group is looking to dip into the pockets of new donors. “Meeting the demand boils down to one thing – money,” Hy said.
To get that money, Hy explains, The Salvation Army is trying to make itself more visible in the surrounding community. “We are trying to find new ways for people to see us,” she said.
The spokespeople for the groups agree that the demand has been difficult to meet. But none expect to stop any services or programs any time soon.
“We’re a faith-based group,” Hy said, summing up a consensus among the groups. “And we have faith that God will see us through this difficult time and help people in need.”
(Mark Banick is a junior newspaper journalism major with a minor in religion.)
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