Empty Stocking Fund donations doubled during pandemic to help local families in need
Despite the coronavirus pandemic and a faltering economy, Charlotte Observer readers more than doubled their donations to the paper’s Empty Stocking Fund this holiday season, with giving reaching nearly $350,000, Salvation Army officials said.
The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte’s angel tree program matches children in need with anonymous donors who buy them presents for Christmas, as well as provides senior citizens with gifts. In cases where donors didn’t step up, Charlotte Observer readers covered the expense by giving to the Empty Stocking Fund.
The Observer has sponsored the Empty Stocking Fund since about 1920.
Over this past holiday season, readers donated $349,119 in both small and large amounts, some in honor or memory of family members and friends. Others gave anonymously.
That represented a 124% rise in giving over the $156,000 raised in 2019, according to The Salvation Army. What’s more, nearly twice as many people contributed to the fund this season — 1,418 — compared to 779 in 2019, agency spokesman Brent Rinehart said.
“We are so grateful for the donors to the Empty Stocking Fund who stepped forward to make sure every child registered in our program is taken care of,” Major Wilma Mason, Salvation Army area commander, said in a statement to the Observer. “We continue to be amazed at the generosity of the Charlotte community.”
Sherry Chisenhall, the Observer’s president and editor, agreed.
“We’re so thankful to our readers for their overwhelming response to help people hurting in our community,” Chisenhall said. “It was such a difficult year for so many, and donors’ generosity has never been more needed.”
The average donation increased to $241, from $213 in 2019 and about $188 in 2018, according to Rinehart. The largest gifts were $15,000, from a donor who wanted to remain anonymous, and $10,000 apiece from couples Bradley and Jane Fisher and John and Eileen Stenerson.
“This has been such a hard year for everyone, and we didn’t know what to expect,” Mason said. “But we knew we had to find a way to serve an increased number of families this year... We can’t do this important work without the support of the community backing us up.”
Helping others
The angel tree program helped 3,792 families this holiday season, representing 8,327 children, Salvation Army officials said. And the program assisted 1,737 seniors, and 812 foster children and people with disabilities, according to the Salvation Army.
The number of Charlotte area children whose families applied for gifts through The Salvation Army’s angel tree program increased by 24% from 2019. More families sought help largely due to the tough economy caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Mason said.
Meanwhile, money raised by the 2019 Empty Stocking Fund campaign allowed the Salvation Army to purchase more than 6,000 toys this holiday season, as well as 3,500 food gift cards for families and 1,800 gift cards for seniors, foster children and people with disabilities, Rinehart said.
Having nearly twice the number of people contributing to the Empty Stocking Fund this holiday season showed how the community was especially motivated during the coronavirus pandemic to come together and help, Rinehart said.
“And the increased average gift amount shows that those who have the ability to do a little more really stepped up,” he said.
“For those we serve, the recovery will last much longer than the crisis,” Rinehart added. “The fact that so many people supported the 2020 Empty Stocking Fund gives us hope that Charlotte residents will continue to work together to support those who need us most.”
How to donate
To donate online: EmptyStockingFundCLT.org.
To donate by mail, send checks to: The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte, P.O. Box 31128, Charlotte, NC 28231. Make checks payable to The Salvation Army of Greater Charlotte and write “Empty Stocking Fund” in the memo line.
Questions concerning your donation? Call 704-716-2769.
We’ll publish all donors’ names.
This story was originally published January 6, 2021 at 6:00 AM.