The United Way day of caring is the largest local volunteer effort the United Way has each year, according to Julie Kopnicky, Marketing and Communications Coordinator.
Kopnicky said one of the reasons is because volunteers are able to see their dollars at work.
But in these trying economic times, getting those dollars is becoming more of a challenge for some non-profit agencies.
Nanci Conley, with the coastal South Carolina chapter of the American Red Cross said donations are slim
Conley said providing immediate needs for people, like food, clothing, and shelter after disasters is costing them a lot more money than it used to.
"We're fortunate that we do have a very large volunteer base, but again for some of them its significant traveling around many of them have limited incomes because they're retired so they're concerned about their fuel consumptions and what they're able to do so it's coming at us from all angles." said Conley.
All of the services the Red Cross provides are free, so they rely on donations for operating expenses.
The United Way uses its annual day of caring to raise awareness for agencies like the Red Cross.
Kopnicky said the agency is on track to meet fundraising goals for 2009.
"So even with the way the economy is and even with the way some of the jobs are right now, we really feel that people are still going to give from their heart because they see how many people really need it especially our community." said Kopnicky.
Conley said the coastal chapter of the Red Cross needs to raise more than a million dollars to meet its current fundraising goals.
Nationwide, the Red Cross has a fundraising goal of one hundred million dollars by the end of the year.
Conley said the organization raised a little more than $15 million, but they believe a few million more are in the pipeline.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement