Tough economy puts more in need

Goodfellows: Donate online: https://marketplace.omaha.com/neo-mgr/forms/goodfellows.php
The northwest Omaha husband lost his job, and a family that once had a stable payment history suddenly owed the Metropolitan Utilities District $421.

The Benson-area wife had a baby but no paid medical leave, so the family's Omaha Public Power District bill grew to $260 while there was no paycheck.

The north Omaha mother caring for her father and her child lost her job and needed $300 for rent.

The three were among a record 1,080 metro-area residents who so far this year have sought one-time emergency help from The World-Herald's Goodfellows program.

That's about 100 more families than the newspaper's charity served all of last year with emergency aid, and many of them cite job loss as a reason for applying for help.

The increase reflects two things: a ballooning need fueled by a tough U.S. economy that has put a number of Midlanders out of work; and a near-record fund from which to draw, thanks to the generosity of donors last year.

After the stock market plummeted and companies started shedding jobs last year, Goodfellows, like other charities, kept a wary eye on donations.

Yet despite the economic freefall, Goodfellows raised 13 percent more in 2008 than it did in 2007, surpassing $500,000. It was an amount topped only twice before in Goodfellows' century-plus history when, in 1996 and 1997, a philanthropist agreed to match any donation up to $250,000.

Goodfellows wasn't the only charity to prevail in a bad economy. The Salvation Army's Tree of Lights campaign and the United Way of the Midlands fund drive both surpassed their goals.

It is with this hope that Goodfellows approaches its 2009 fundraising drive, which kicks off today and continues through the holiday season. Daily donation tallies will be printed along with donors' names, and the newspaper will feature some of the families and individuals who get help.

Goodfellows' goal is always to raise one more dollar than the previous year's total, which was $501,025.96 — $59,000 over 2007. The extra money meant emergency aid to 82 more families, holiday meal vouchers to 1,600 more households and coats, shoes and clothes for nearly 1,000 more Omaha Public Schools children.

“This goes to show what good you can do,” said Joel Long, Goodfellows executive director.

It also shows the pressing need, something that government assistance programs and Omaha-area charities have documented throughout the year.

Nebraska and Iowa both reported a near-doubling in weekly unemployment claims this fall compared with last year, and use of government programs such as free and reduced-price school lunches, food stamps and energy assistance is up.

Some Omaha-area homeless shelters either hit record numbers or saw their populations increase earlier in the year than usual.

A fifth of the 3,000-plus turkey boxes the Open Door Mission delivered to needy families this month went to those who'd never before sought help.

The Stephen Center is reporting a 28 percent increase from last year in children staying there (over 200 children so far this year), and its shelves of free food available to the general public empty much sooner than in the past.

OneWorld Community Health Center, the south Omaha-based provider of affordable health care, has counted 2,000 new patients, including a doubling of patients from the suburbs this year, and has had to turn away 1,000 people.

Together Inc. has more first-time clients this year than ever before, with most of them starting at the food pantry, though new faces are appearing for rent and mortgage assistance, including one man who lost his job of 36 years.

The United Way of the Midlands, which partners with The World-Herald to screen Goodfellows applicants, is reporting a 32 percent increase in calls for help to its 211 line.

Of the 56 applications to Goodfellows in October, United Way counted 21 who had lost their jobs. Seven had to take off work because they were sick and had no health benefits. One had her pay garnisheed because of unpaid medical bills.

Then there was the usual array of life events that can immediately put people behind: divorce, death, a medical catastrophe.

Two things about October's crop of help requests struck Jamie Moore, vice president for volunteer and community services at United Way. One was the volume of calls and applications, 56, instead of the 30 to 40 in a normal month. The other was the frequent finding that most of these callers had been regular bill-payers before.

“People are hurting,” she said. “It's a sign of the times.”

That's why Goodfellows, while not the biggest charity in Omaha, plays a vital role in devoting so much of its funds (81 percent this year) toward emergency assistance. That's a modern departure from the original program, which started in 1898 when The World-Herald threw a Christmas party for children and served 1,200 families.

Over the years, The World-Herald directed its funds to charitable giving and disaster relief, starting to use the name “Goodfellows” in 1910. The charity was formally established in 1947.

How does it work now?

Every dollar raised goes to serve those in need. Money raised in the 2009 holiday campaign will be spent in 2010. The World-Herald pays all administrative costs.

Goodfellows distributes the bulk of its funds for emergencies such as rent payments, utility assistance and other one-time needs to get someone over a hurdle.

Goodfellows partners with agencies that screen applicants: United Way of the Midlands, Heartland Family Service, Eastern Nebraska Community Action Partnership (ENCAP) and Catholic Charities.

Agencies that refer for grocery vouchers at holiday time include the Omaha Housing Authority, United Way, Heartland Family Service, ENCAP and the Visiting Nurse Association.

Goodfellows also helps fund the OPS clothing program and funds a socks, shoes and underwear distribution each fall with Holy Family Door Ministry and Together Inc.

Long, the Goodfellows director, said he is aware that the still-sluggish economy may make it hard for donors. But he's optimistic given last year's results.

Moore of the United Way said the times make her reflect on advice she got at home.

“My mom used to say to us as children, ‘I cried because I had no shoes until I saw a man who had no feet,'” Moore recalled. “Your problems may seem very, very big … sometimes there's someone out there who's a little bit worse off than you are.”

Contact the writer:

444-1136, erin.grace@owh.com

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