This year, the Salvation Army said that it’s seeing a drop in donations across the Bay Area, both in terms of toys and money into its red kettles.
This drop comes even as the non-profit has already started distributing goods to families.
While it may look like its Concord branch has plenty of toys to hand out, Major Gwyn Jones said the organization had to use thousands of dollars not in the budget to fill the need.
And, Jones added, there’s still more to buy before Christmas.
“We get a lot of checks in our kettles recently and this year it’s really just a few thousand,” said Jones. “Last year, at this point, we were already at $25,000 in checks.”
Jones thinks the economy may to be to blame.
“I think a lot of that has to do with inflation and the cost of just living, whether it’s the rent, utility, buying food. It’s just very expensive,” Jones said.
The Salvation Army division that includes Contra Costa and Alameda counties has seen a 12% drop in donations, while the division in San Jose and Silicon Valley has seen a 23% decrease.
November and December donations make up most of the annual budget for the organization, whose work — including food pantries, rehab facilities and sheltering the unhoused — goes beyond the holiday season.
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“We serve over 500 families just at Christmas with food and toys,” Jones said. “But then, all year long, we average about 50 to 75 food boxes a day.”
The non-profit is asking those who can to dig deeper into their pockets and help.
“A handful of change just really makes a tremendous impact on what we can do,” Jones said.
