Lake County >> In the two and a half months since the Valley Fire left thousands of homes destroyed, the county has been inundated with donations to fire victims, both material and monetary. While the funds are flowing for some, however, other organizations have experienced a significant hit in contributions.
According to Christine Hutt with Hospice Services of Lake County, the nonprofit is looking at a 65 percent drop in cash donations since the Valley Fire broke out. The Highlands Senior Center has suffered a similar slip, with donations off approximately 60 percent toward daily funds usually provided by meal donations, said Joyce Overton.
“People that might donate to us aren’t going to because they’re donating to the fire victims, and we totally understand that,” Overton said.
The center’s meal program causes the biggest hit. Although their lunches are priced at $4, since the fire many cannot afford to pay. With a welcoming policy that ensures no one is turned away, the senior center feeds many for free. As a result, there’s been a definite impact on their fundrasing.
Two weeks ago, Hospice Services held their annual Light Up a Life ceremony, and attendance was lower than usual. That same night a fundraiser for fire victims was also scheduled. In previous years, all attendees bought candles for the event, but this time around, Hospice Services gave some out for free. “Technically at this time of year, we usually get quite a few donations,” Hutt said. “A lot of people use that time to make an annual donation in the memory of someone. We have seen a very large drop in those donations. It’s really noticeable.”
Hutt explained that most of the thrift store revenue and donations go toward unfunded programs, primarily community bereavement services. On December 18, they organize Hope For the Holidays, where Hospice Services visits the Middletown Senior Center to help people there get through the holidays in the absence of a loved one. Thankfully, Hospice has reserve funds to pull from to cover the costs for these types of programs. They will have to economize and cut back on things like office supplies.
The popular Lake County Wine Auction, which donates to schools and arts programs, first postponed and then canceled their event, aware that they would be competing for funds with fire victims. Indeed, those involved in charitable programs across the county recognize that funding toward recovery comes first.
While monetary donations have been redirected to meet necessities caused by the fire, contributions of food and clothing contributions remain strong. Just after the Valley Fire sparked, Hospice Services received so many items they had to stop accepting clothing. They were also given truckloads of food, a type of donation they don’t regularly receive or distribute. They gave away many of their items to local churches, and offered free clothing and bedding to fire victims at their Clearlake thrift store.
The Highlands Senior Center also has not had any trouble covering the food for their lunches. Much of the community knows they acted as an evacuation center during the Valley Fire, and subsequently canceled their largest annual fundraiser. People are helping them make up for it, and just recently the center received turkeys for their Thanksgiving meals. The center’s programs, such as Meals on Wheels, haven’t taken a hit either, thanks to a grant from the Area Agency on Aging.
“We’ve been lucky that we’ve had enough money to continue on,” said Overton.
Though they aren’t feeling the hurt from the lack of cash donations yet, that isn’t to say they won’t experience setbacks in the future. “The effects will come later on in next year, when funds start running out and we start wondering what we’re going to do,” Overton said.
Also not feeling the strain just yet is the Lake Family Resource Center. The banks and individuals the agency works with have continued to support the center in recent months, and though they did see a small decrease in food donations for the holidays, it was nothing significant. “If we have a client that needs a specific something we have a pretty good network to reach out to,” said Stephanie Lilly, Director of Programs. “Part of being a nonprofit is just believing in the community.”
Lake Family Resource Center doesn’t yet know if they’ll see a drop in monetary donations. Though they haven’t organized it yet, once a year the agency performs capital outreach, where the community can donate to a specific program or the agency in general. They’ll see where their funds stand after that point.
Lilly said it would be very difficult for the resource center to cover costs without community support. They receive various grants and they’re required to match that funding, either in money or food, depending on the grant. “As a nonprofit agency we have to believe in our community and we’re in a community that, every time a need comes up, something comes through,” Lilly added. “We just feel really blessed to be in this community, especially how everyone’s come together.”
Hospice Services also relies on grants, but those funds don’t address all costs, and Hospice has been feeling the effects as they work to cover those gaps. “We all depend on federal money, grants and donations, that’s how nonprofits survive,” Hutt said. “They pay for certain things, but not everything.”
Though Overton predicts the decrease in the Highland Senior Center meal donations to continue through the new year, she expects that in March or April donations will pick back up. She also sees the senior center organizing a fundraiser for some time next year to make up for missed funds.
Hutt, too, believes the drop in donations is only temporary. She’s sure the county will find its feet once again and when it does, she expects the money to come back in. “I really have great faith in the resilience of the human spirit,” she said.
Jennifer Gruenke can be reached at 900-2019.
