Donations drop with Dow

Economy bad for charities

Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2008

Activists report the number of foreclosures and evictions continue to rise, the shelves of the local food bank that supplies pantries at churches are bare and homeless people are living in cars and in the woods because there aren't enough beds at the county's two homeless facilities — problems that are only going to worsen because the operators of the county's nonprofit organizations that help the needy say they are running out of funds.

The United Way of Charles County Inc. provides funding for 35 nonprofit organizations in the county and all of them are seeing a drastic drop in the amount of monetary donations that they used to receive to keep them afloat, said Dorothy L. Harper, president and CEO.

The county's United Way is already seeing a considerable decrease in the funding it receives during its annual campaign, Harper said, adding that as of Sept. 30 the agency has received $37,000, compared to the $52,000 it collected by that time last year.

The United Way campaign for local businesses, schools and the Charles County government is just beginning, but Harper said that she fears the total amount of donations will be down when the bottom line is tallied later this year.

"It's looking gloomy," she said, adding that employed people need to really step up to the plate regardless of the amount of money they can donate to nonprofits.

"If they can even part with one dollar that will help us fill the food bank and get clothing for children. People who have jobs and have food in their pantries need to think about those who don't have it."

Harper said that many nonprofits rely on state funding to help keep their organizations afloat and that is bad news considering that state budget analysts predict that Maryland's budget deficit could exceed $1 billion by fiscal 2010, which begins July 1, 2009.

"So many of our nonprofits rely on state funding," she said, adding that donations normally raised during local fundraisers have also drastically decreased. "Fundraisers are not doing as well as they used to; they're not pulling in the people. People just aren't spending anymore."

The local United Way receives a pot of money and then the funds are distributed to nonprofits that are members of the agency, Harper said. Cuts in federal dollars are already making an impact on the county's homeless population, which is growing rapidly. For example, the Charles County Sheriff's Office served 1,206 eviction notices from Jan. 1 to Sept. 30 and there is simply nowhere for a lot of these homeless people to go, she said.

The Southern Maryland Tri-County Community Action Committee in Hughesville was established in 1965 to provide a variety of services to needy people in the area, including housing and energy assistance, adult and child day care services and the senior companion, weatherization and Head Start programs, said Swynice Hawkins, president. The rough economy is increasing the number of people who visit or call the organization in need of help, she said.

Last year, the agency served 11,274 people in Southern Maryland and those numbers are expected to continue to rise as the country's financial woes worsen, Hawkins said.

"Our job is to work ourselves out of business, but the economy doesn't want us to do that," she said. "We're making ends meet; we're doing whatever we can do to keep afloat."

Charles County Children's Aid Society Inc. was established in 1937 and the organization is still struggling to serve about 10,000 needy people a year by providing food, clothing, shelter and energy assistance, said Maria Bryan, executive director. The organization receives $71,000 a year from the county and holds an auction and a golf tournament to raise funds. This year the auction netted $14,000, compared to $18,000 last year and $25,000 in 2006, she said.

"We're seeing dual-income families coming in for help," she said. "They're a little proud to come in, but they're at the point that they have no other options. The scary thing is the number of people who need help is going up and the money is not. What happens if I don't have enough staff to take care of the clients? At some point, that's going to happen."

Bryan said that a lot more people might find themselves needing assistance as the economy worsens.

"Most of us are only a paycheck away from being in the situation that people are in who come through our doors," she said.

Jude House Inc., a nonprofit drug and alcohol abuse treatment facility that has been in operation since 1972 in the old annex building of the Bel Alton High School, is also beginning to feel the financial pinch of the troubled economy, said Dennis Logan, director.

The organization relies heavily on funding it receives from the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene — an agency that has been targeted for $120 million to $130 million in cuts in fiscal 2010, Logan said.

"We're anticipating that we're going to have some financial challenges in the future," he said. "Everything is stable right now, but there are some indicators that we may have some problems in the upcoming fiscal year. There may be some trickle-down effect from the state budget cutbacks at some point and they may be significant enough to force us to scale back our programs. I am concerned."

Charles County leases the building and land to Jude House for a nominal annual fee, Logan said, adding that the organization receives about $20,000 from the county each year.

As times get rougher, Logan said that he anticipates more clients will be showing up at his door, not only to receive drug- and alcohol abuse counseling, but also to seek help in vocational, housing and health issues. The average length of stay for clients is four to six months.

"We have a long enough time with them to possibly address some of their real needs," he said. "When they walk out the door they've at least got some pieces in place."

The Center for Abused Persons in Waldorf, established 25 years ago, provides counseling and shelter to people in the community who have been physically and emotionally battered. As the economy worsens and tempers fray the number of clients who might need to seek help from the organization is expected to increase, said Annette Gilbert-Jackson, executive director.

"The number of clients could certainly increase because of more stress in families due to the financial situation," she said. "We haven't seen a spike, yet."

So far, Gilbert-Jackson said that she has not been notified of any cuts in Maryland Department of Human Resources funding, but private donations have certainly decreased.

"We've seen fewer donations from individuals and companies in the community," she said. "It's not surprising, but we miss those funds. The money that comes in from donations covers things that state money doesn't cover."

The Center for Children in La Plata, established in 1989, offers comprehensive mental health services to children and their families. The organization is feeling the financial pinch of the shaky economy, as well, said Catherine Meyers, executive director.

"We're holding our breath and keeping to our mission," she said. "There's certainly been a drop in donations. People are less able to give, which is difficult because in times of trouble people really need mental health services. The unfortunate thing is that when the economy is poor the clients that we serve are most in need of services."

The organization receives state, federal and county funding and payments from clients' private medical insurance, Meyers said, adding that the center serves about 4,000 clients a year in Southern Maryland, with 2,700 to 3,000 in Charles County.

"Most nonprofits in our community are in this situation right now," she said. "We're our own worst enemy. We keep doing with less and less and less. The nonprofit community is stretched as thin as I've ever seen it in Southern Maryland."

How to help

The United Way of Charles County Inc. serves 35 nonprofit organizations in the county. Money donated to the organization is spread out among all of the nonprofits that are members of the United Way in La Plata.

Find out how to help local nonprofit organizations by calling the United Way at 301-609-4844 or call the nonprofit organization of your choice to make a direct donation.