More people than ever are calling the Salvation Army's Baltimore offices this year, asking for help paying their utility bills or for food to feed their families. And contributions from individuals, the charity says, are down $100,000 from a year earlier.
Around the state, nonprofits are seeing donations fall and pleas for help increase. Their costs to supply food and other assistance are soaring. And they worry that fundraising will fall far short of goals this year, with even the most steadfast of donors, from individuals to foundations, tapped out in light of the economic slowdown.
"Never in 40 years have I seen the number of negatives out in the community that we have no control over, that not only impact our ability to raise funds ... but also has an impact on agencies providing services to the community," said Larry Walton, president of the United Way of Central Maryland.
Though food banks are seeing unprecedented numbers of needy people, some are reducing hours and the amount of food distributed because big grocery chains and individuals alike are giving less.
Sales are up at some of its thrift stores, the Salvation Army says, yet donations are down. In the Baltimore area, the charity has received 35,147 requests through July for help with utility bills, up from 16,240 at the same time last year. Meanwhile, donations from individuals are down.
"A lot of that is ... the $25 checks," said Maj. Roger Coulson, an area commander for parts of the Baltimore region. "Part of that might be concern about what the economy will show in the next six months, the uncertainty of whether they will continue to have a job.
"When you decide where to cut, charitable giving is one area where you may have to curtail or decrease temporarily," he said.
Last year, charitable giving from individuals, foundations and corporations rose 3.9 percent from 2006, to an estimated $306.39 billion nationwide, according to the Giving USA Foundation, which tracks public charities. The group noted that a strong stock market in the first half of the year helped lift giving, despite worries later about rising gas prices and the housing and mortgage crisis.
"In the last quarter, we saw a very serious cooling of giving at all levels," said Bob Evans, a consultant to nonprofits with EHL Consulting Group in Philadelphia. "We need people to feel that they're well-to-do, regardless of where they are on the spectrum of income."
