Economic crisis and low media focus equal scant relief gifts?
WASHINGTON (CNS) – The combined hurricanes and tropical storms that have devastated U.S. communities and Caribbean nations in the past few months have exceeded the damage Hurricane Katrina inflicted on New Orleans in 2005, but donations for relief efforts this time are drastically less.
“I believe a combination of the recent economic crisis and the media attention, or lack thereof, has presented challenges to us,” said Patricia Hvidston, senior director of development for Catholic Charities USA, based in Alexandria, Va. “We have gotten donations, and we’re grateful to everyone who has made donations, but it’s significantly lower than the response to Katrina.”
For example, donations to Catholic Charities in response to Katrina averaged $890 each from more than 180,000 contributors, but donations in response to the series of hurricanes and tropical storms that have crippled communities along the Gulf of Mexico, Florida and other parts of the country have only averaged $159 each from fewer than 1,000 supporters, Hvidston told Catholic News Service Sept. 22.
“That’s a remarkable difference,” she said. “It’s clear that people are fearful during these difficult economic times, but I don’t think the message is getting out to the American people about how so many of our citizens have been devastated by these storms.”
Millions of Americans from Texas to Florida were forced to evacuate during the storms that have hit the U.S. since August. Many have returned to destroyed homes and no way of earning a living, Hvidston said.
Catholic Relief Services has raised around $1 million for emergency aid for Cubans and Haitians affected during this hurricane season, but has fallen $1.5 million short of the agency’s fundraising goal for those Caribbean nations, said Mark Melia, deputy vice president for charitable giving for the Baltimore-based international relief agency of American Catholics.
“We understand everyone is feeling the impact of the current economic crisis, so we’re doing our best to share information with potential donors about the dire conditions in the Caribbean,” Melia told CNS Sept. 22. “We’re also trying to assure them that their donations will be going directly to the people in need to help keep them alive.”
So far CRS has provided aid to more than 4,000 families in Haiti and delivered 170,000 pounds of food to assist at least 20,000 Cubans, he said. “Our focus is on immediate relief right now,” Melia said. “Response from our donors has been tepid. We’re not getting the response that we have received from previous natural disasters.”
In general, charitable institutions have reported a decrease in donations and financial experts have speculated that U.S. citizens are concerned about their financial well-being in a tough economy.
(By Chaz Muth)
