|
But with
the closing bell on Wall Street still ringing in the ears of
worried investors, doing the most good isn't as easy as it used
to be.
“It's definitely a tough year. Our
donations are down, but the need the people have, especially in
Houston, is up this year. We've served five million people this
year already just because of the hurricane,” said Juan Alanis,
from the Salvation Army.
The five million people the
organization has helped is a big jump from 2007. Last year,
they served only a hundred thousand in the Houston area.
But donations are also down. In 2005,
the year hurricanes Katrina and Rita hit, the Salvation Army
raised nearly 400 million dollars for the fund. This year, with
Hurricane Ike, they were only able to raise 15 million.
Locally, monetary donations are down
6.2 percent. Donations of clothing and furniture are down 25
percent, but more people are shopping at the Salvation Army's
thrift stores.
“We count on the community to help us
in changing lives. The donations they give to us are turned
into dollars to pay for facilities,” said Richard Watkins,
Salvation Army store manager.
When times are tough, giving can be
even tougher. “You’ve got to dig deep in your heart. It's all
about the heart,” said Douglas Andreano, shopper.
Copyright ©
2008 KHOU-TV
|
