Christmas Fund 1995 There’s No Deficit In Our Hearts But Christmas Fund Faces Uphill Struggle This Year

Christmas. It’s the best of times - and it’s the worst of times, to borrow a phrase from Charles Dickens.

For most of us, Christmastime is the absolute best. It’s a time to give and to receive. It’s a time of snowflakes and sugarplums, a time to feel warm and cozy.

For some, however, Christmastime is the absolute worst. It’s a time when parents desperately want to give to their children, regardless of their income; they want their children to have at least a portion of what most children receive this time of year. It’s a time when an empty wallet is more devastating than any other time of year.

Today marks the beginning of the 1995 Christmas Fund, celebrating its 50th anniversary of helping low-income families have a brighter Christmas, especially the children of those families.

Already the telephone has been ringing in the newspaper’s editorial office, with callers asking about the Christmas Fund, when it’s going to open, how to apply for help, and who is eligible.

Mostly, the callers are young mothers, trying to ward off a “worst of times.”

This is a scary year for those who operate the Christmas Fund, which collects the money, and the Christmas Bureau, which accepts the applications and distributes the gifts and food vouchers.

Officials of the Volunteers of America, Catholic Charities and the Salvation Army, the three non-profit agencies that operate the Christmas Bureau, know the need is greater than ever this year. They know because they work with low-income families on a daily basis and their caseloads are greater this year than last.

Those same men and women, as well as those at the newspaper, also know only too well that charitable giving has diminished the past few years. It was sobering to launch plans for this year’s drive on the very day United Way announced it was nearly a million dollars behind in its annual drive.

United Way found belts being dramatically cinched from top corporate executives to hourly employees.

In years past, the Christmas Fund greatly benefited from corporate donations. The fund always could rely on a few never-fail businesses to produce big checks and put the drive over the top.

Now, however, the times of corporations donating huge sums of money seem to have all but vanished. These days, the Christmas Fund relies on the giving of thousands upon thousands of individual donors.

Those donations from individual givers have decreased the past two years.

Last year, it cost $406,001.92 for food and toys. The fund collected $359,153.22, which left a $46,848.70 hole in the budget. That amount was made up from previous years’ contributions.

Ken Trent, director of the Volunteers of America, expects it will take 150,000 toys to fill requests this year. He expects an increase of 5 to 10 percent in the number of applicants, which would mean a jump of 8 to 10 percent in the cost of food vouchers.

“At the risk of sounding like a broken record, there is an increasing number of poor people who are under-employed,” said Mike Ryan, director of Catholic Charities. “There are more people depending on the (Spokane) Food Bank.

“Some of these folks have jobs,” Ryan said, but their low-paying wages “are not commensurate with the rent they must pay.

“We are going to see some of these people at the Christmas Bureau.”

Right now, the Christmas Fund is broke - for the first time. In the past, when a year’s goal was surpassed, excess money became a “starter fund” for the following year’s drive. The money was used to get a head start on buying toys.

This year, however, the Christmas Fund is starting with faith - faith that Spokane-area residents will once again dig deep - as they have for 50 years - and help make Christmas a “best of times” for everyone.

There are some unalterable facts about the Christmas Fund each donor should know:

Every penny donated to the fund goes for its express purpose. Not a cent is taken out for overhead. Volunteers accept and fill requests. Even the building that houses the Christmas Bureau is donated.

The Spokesman-Review serves only as a collection source for the money; all the money is turned over to the three non-profit agencies: Volunteers of America, Catholic Charities and the Salvation Army.

Contributions are tax-exempt.

The donors’ names, addresses and gift amounts are listed in the newspaper, unless anonymity is requested, as our way of saying “Thank you.”

Each child in a family, 18 and under, receives a game or toy of excellent quality.

Each family receives a food voucher to help with Christmas dinner; the voucher’s size depends on the family’s size.

Each recipient is treated with respect and dignity.

Each recipient is entered into a computer, thus accounting for every gift given and every dollar spent.

The bureau’s location for this year has not yet been finalized. An address will be printed as the time draws nearer. The bureau will be open 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday, Dec. 11 to 22.

To receive help, applicants need to bring with them proof of low income (medical coupons), proof of residency (heat bill) and proof of the number of family members, which will determine the size of the food voucher.

May this Christmas be the best of times for all of us.

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: Christmas Fund information Mail or bring checks to: The Spokesman-Review Christmas Fund, Fourth Floor Newsroom, P.O. Box 516, Review Tower, 999 W. Riverside, Spokane, WA., 99210. Questions? A voice-mail answering service has been established this year. If you have questions about the Christmas Fund, call 459-5426.