Big need persists for charitable giving
Wednesday, November 18, 2020
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By Steve Metzer
The Journal Record
Back around the end of May and into June, folks at the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma started noticing some donations arriving for the same, oddly specific amount of money, $1,200.
“There weren’t a whole lot of them, but enough to catch our attention,” said Cathy Nestlen, director of communications and marketing at the 40-year-old organization that helps to meet needs of children, senior citizens and others who quite often don’t have enough to eat in communities across 53 counties in central and western Oklahoma. A counterpart organization, the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma, helps to meet needs for food in the state’s remaining 24 counties.
Then, one of the gifts arrived with a note. It said the donor had received a check from the government for $1,200 to ease effects of the coronavirus pandemic. The person was doing OK, the note explained, and figured there were other people assisted by the Food Bank who might need the help more.
Mystery solved.
As the pandemic has dealt its worst this year, Nestlen said Oklahomans who have managed OK have done what so many in the state seem so likely to do in troubled times – they’ve pitched in to help out neighbors in need. Many businesses, too, have kept up with contributions to sustain operations at the Regional Food Bank, which has partnerships with numerous local groups that help to distribute food to the hungry.
“But that doesn’t mean we don’t need financial donations. We certainly do,” Nestlen said.
Needs have risen sharply this year, she said. As many Oklahomans have lost jobs or suffered other financial setbacks related to the pandemic, ranks of the food-insecure have swelled by some 30%. Many people who may never have had to ask for help from local food pantries or other charitable groups have had to do so this year.
“It’s across all 53 counties. Hunger is everywhere,” Nestlen said, “even in neighborhoods that you might think are very affluent.”
At Community Action of Oklahoma City, Executive Director Jessie Thompson said funding, including some extra that came in this year from the government as pandemic relief, has helped to meet needs. However, she, too, said needs have risen. Since June 1, more than 10,000 applications have been received for assistance with mortgage, rent payments or with utility bills from people who reside in Oklahoma or Canadian counties.
“The need has shown that that (funding) increase was definitely needed,” Thompson said.
During the upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday seasons, as needs may rise even more, she said she hopes that other organizations that depend on donations will get the help they need.
At the Jesus House in Oklahoma City, Executive Director Mike Bateman said he, too, hopes donations will keep up with rising needs. Last year, Jesus House distributed 2,007 food baskets. This year, hopes are to provide 2,500.
“We’re in need of generosity from the Oklahoma City community,” he said.
In Tulsa, John 3:16 Ministries President and Senior Pastor Steve Whitaker reported that the charity will need much more food this year than it has in the past to fill out Thanksgiving baskets.
“This year, the pandemic has increased the needs of everyday people who have never needed our help before,” he said.
While 2020 started out looking like it would be a strong year for philanthropy, and many Americans have tried to step up charitable giving, a researcher at the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy who testified not long ago before a Joint Economic Committee of the U.S. Congress said the “twin crises” of the pandemic and crash of the economy will likely result in a decline in giving in coming months or even years. Una Osili, who was the principal investigator for the Philanthropy Outlook for 2020-21 report, said a similar decline was noted in the wake of the Great Recession of 2008-09.
“The initial response to COVID (has been) unprecedented in its speed, size and scope, and nonprofits of all sizes have risen to the challenge,” she said. “However, the need for private philanthropy is rising. Many more people and communities need support … a concerning trend is that the share of American households that give to charitable organizations has declined significantly.”
While about two-thirds of American households were doing well enough to be able to give to charitable organizations in 2000, only a little more than half were similarly positioned by 2016, the researcher said.
“Declines in participation rates among low- and middle-income Americans as well as younger Americans have been evident since the Great Recession,” she told members of the congressional committee.
Fortunately, those with means have been giving more on average in recent years. In 2000, families who donated gave an average of $2,041. By 2014, that amount had increased to $2,514 in inflation-adjusted dollars. And there are places in the country where people are more prone to giving. SmartAsset, which offers consumers advice on finances online and tracks charitable giving, reported recently that cities in Utah topped its list of places where giving is most prevalent. Tulsa ranked eighth, with residents donating 3.59% of their income to charity.
The Oklahoma City Community Foundation and the Great Nonprofits organization maintain lists of area charitable organizations that people might want to think about through the holiday season. They can be accessed online at www.occf.org/centraloklahomacharities and at https://greatnonprofits.org/state/Oklahoma.
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