Groups that help needy feeling pinch this season

Shortfalls in holiday donations of gifts, food, clothing and cash for the needy are dimming Christmas spirit at many non-profit groups.

“It is certainly the bleakest year we’ve ever had,” says Mary Perez, founder of Christmas For Everyone, which for 22 years has provided gifts, clothes and holiday feasts to about 3,000 low-income, homeless and elderly people in Concord, Calif.


Toys for Kids in Utica, N.Y., hoped to collect 7,500 toys. So far it has about 2,300 and probably will miss its target for the first time in its 17 years, co-chairman Al Pulaski says.

He blames the economy. “Gas is $3 a gallon,” he says. “Winter has set in, and people are concerned about their heating bills.”

Charities across the country are experiencing the same problems, says Michael Nilsen of the Association of Fundraising Professionals. “The housing crisis and problems in the economy couldn’t have hit at a worse time,” he says.

USA Today